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Examining Legal Scholarship in Australia: A Case Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2021

Benedict Sheehy  and
John Dumay
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Abstract

Legal scholarship in Australia is under-researched. Without detailed empirical investigation, it is difficult to understand the characteristics of the scholarship in terms of topics and method/approach. Legal scholarship, like all scholarship, claims to make a contribution to knowledge. To understand and evaluate the scholarship, this article adopts an empirical method. Using a case study approach and citation counts, the article provides an analysis of all the articles published by a leading law review over ten years: 2008–2018. The article identifies the types and methods of legal scholarship in the journal and examines a sample of its most highly cited articles. The study then evaluates the impact of this scholarship with recommendations for the future.

Keywords

publicationlegal scholarshiplegal methodbibliometric study
Type
Articles
Information
International Journal of Legal Information , Volume 49 , Issue 1 , Spring 2021 , pp. 32 - 51
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2021. Published by International Association of Law Libraries

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Footnotes

1

© Benedict Sheehy 2021. The author is an expert in corporate law, CSR, and regulation. His work is widely cited and has been published in leading global journals. He has been consulted by governments, international and transnational organizations, and businesses on matters of regulatory design and evaluation, regulatory compliance, and strategy. He is Head of Canberra Law School, University of Canberra, Australia. He was educated in Canada and Australia and in addition to his academic career, is an experienced lawyer and corporate executive.

2

John Dumay 2021. He is globally recognized for his expertise in intellectual capital, non-financial accounting and reporting, innovation, research methods and academic writing. His research activities link closely to management, accounting, and scholarly practice. Prior to joining the academy, John worked as independent business consultant for many years. He is a Professor of Accounting and Finance at Macquarie University, Sydney.

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