Academic Year 2026–2027 UNISA Assignment: LME3701 Legal Research
Methodology Fully Solved Assignment with Verified Answers | Legal
Research Techniques, Case Law Analysis, Academic Legal Writing, Legal
Sources, Jurisprudence and Research Methodology
,Question 1: Which of the following statements is INCORRECT regarding the use of
research methods for legal research purposes?
A. Mixed-method research, which collects both qualitative and quantitative data, is
allowed provided ethical clearance is obtained.
B. Recent trends indicate pure legal research and interdisciplinary research can be used
simultaneously.
C. We hardly ever use the quantitative research method, although its use is not
prohibited.
D. Mixed-method research is not allowed for legal research projects.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. Mixed-method research is not allowed for legal research
projects.
Rationale: Mixed-method research is allowed in legal research methodology. In fact, a
mixed-method research project that collects both qualitative and quantitative data is
permitted, provided that ethical clearance for the quantitative research part has been
obtained . This makes option D the incorrect statement. The other options are correct:
quantitative methods are seldom used but not prohibited, pure and interdisciplinary
research can be combined, and mixed methods are indeed permissible. (Study Guide
Section A, 1.4.3.1)
Question 2: According to the Unisa College of Law, references to sources in
academic work must be placed in which of the following?
A. In the text according to the author's preference.
B. In endnotes.
C. In footnotes.
D. In either endnotes or footnotes according to the writer’s preference.
CORRECT ANSWER: C. In footnotes.
Rationale: The Unisa College of Law prescribes that references to sources must be
placed in footnotes . This is a mandatory formatting requirement for all academic
submissions within the college, ensuring consistency and proper attribution. The
college does not permit author-date systems, endnotes, or discretionary placement of
references.
Question 3: The Unisa College of Law uses which of the following referencing styles
from 2021 onwards?
A. The APA referencing style.
B. The Harvard referencing style.
C. The Chicago referencing style.
D. The OSCOLA referencing style.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. The OSCOLA referencing style.
,Rationale: From 2021, the Unisa College of Law officially adopted the OSCOLA (Oxford
Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities) referencing style . This is a specific
footnote-based style widely used in legal academic writing. While Unisa uses a version
based on OSCOLA as contained in Tutorial Letter 302, the core style is OSCOLA . The
other options represent different referencing styles that are not prescribed by the
college.
Question 4: Which of the following is the CORRECT way to include an Act (e.g.,
Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977) in your bibliography when you have relied on a
specific section and used a short reference in the text?
A. The full (long) reference only but with the specific section number.
B. The short reference of the Act, followed by the full (long) reference.
C. The full (long) reference only without the specific section number.
D. The full (long) reference followed by the short reference.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. The full (long) reference followed by the short reference.
Rationale: When citing legislation in the bibliography using the prescribed OSCOLA-
based style, the correct format is to provide the full (long) reference of the Act first,
followed by the short reference in parentheses . The full reference includes the title and
the year and number, while the short reference (e.g., "CPA") is used in footnotes.
Specific section numbers are cited in footnotes, not in the bibliography .
Question 5: Which one of the following acts does NOT amount to plagiarism?
A. Submitting the exact same assignment as your classmate.
B. Translating a chapter from a French book into English without acknowledging the
original source.
C. Copying a chapter from a book for which the copyright has lapsed without
acknowledging the source.
D. Quoting from a chapter in a book and adding a footnote to acknowledge your source.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. Quoting from a chapter in a book and adding a footnote to
acknowledge your source.
Rationale: Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's work, ideas, or words as
your own without proper acknowledgment. Quoting a source and adding a footnote to
acknowledge the original author is the correct academic practice and does not
constitute plagiarism . The other options all involve using someone else's work without
acknowledgment—submitting a classmate's work, translating without citing the source,
or copying without acknowledgment—all of which constitute plagiarism regardless of
copyright status . (Study Guide Section A, 1.11)
Question 6: Under which heading of your research proposal would you set out the
basic theory relevant to your research?
A. Introduction.
B. Points of departure and assumptions.
, C. Research methodology.
D. Problem statement.
CORRECT ANSWER: B. Points of departure and assumptions.
Rationale: The "Points of departure and assumptions" heading is where you set out the
basic theory and foundational assumptions relevant to your research . This section
establishes the theoretical framework and underlying principles that inform your study.
The introduction provides background, the problem statement identifies the research
issue, and the research methodology describes how you will conduct the research—
none of these sections is the primary location for setting out basic theory.
Question 7: Which of the following statements regarding footnotes is FALSE?
A. A footnote may only contain information about one source at a time.
B. Every source mentioned in the footnotes should also be mentioned in the
bibliography.
C. Every footnote should end with a full stop.
D. Footnote numbers in the text should be inserted after the punctuation mark.
CORRECT ANSWER: C. Every footnote should end with a full stop.
Rationale: According to the prescribed referencing style, footnotes do not necessarily
end with a full stop . The other statements are true: a footnote typically contains
information about one source at a time , all sources cited in footnotes must appear in
the bibliography , and footnote numbers in the text are placed after punctuation marks
such as full stops and commas . (Study Guide Section A)
Question 8: Which of the following statements is CORRECT regarding the detail that
should be contained in your bibliography as per the prescribed referencing style?
A. The bibliography should contain the exact page number of a book on which you found
the information.
B. The bibliography should not contain the edition number of a book, as that is only
indicated in the footnotes.
C. The bibliography should contain the date of use of a website.
D. The bibliography should not contain the exact page number of an article on which you
found the relevant information.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. The bibliography should not contain the exact page number
of an article on which you found the relevant information.
Rationale: In the bibliography, you list the full reference for a source, but you do not
include the specific page number where you found the information—that detail belongs
in the footnote . The bibliography should include edition numbers, and while it may
include the date of access for websites (when required), the key point is that exact page
numbers are not included in the bibliography entry .
Methodology Fully Solved Assignment with Verified Answers | Legal
Research Techniques, Case Law Analysis, Academic Legal Writing, Legal
Sources, Jurisprudence and Research Methodology
,Question 1: Which of the following statements is INCORRECT regarding the use of
research methods for legal research purposes?
A. Mixed-method research, which collects both qualitative and quantitative data, is
allowed provided ethical clearance is obtained.
B. Recent trends indicate pure legal research and interdisciplinary research can be used
simultaneously.
C. We hardly ever use the quantitative research method, although its use is not
prohibited.
D. Mixed-method research is not allowed for legal research projects.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. Mixed-method research is not allowed for legal research
projects.
Rationale: Mixed-method research is allowed in legal research methodology. In fact, a
mixed-method research project that collects both qualitative and quantitative data is
permitted, provided that ethical clearance for the quantitative research part has been
obtained . This makes option D the incorrect statement. The other options are correct:
quantitative methods are seldom used but not prohibited, pure and interdisciplinary
research can be combined, and mixed methods are indeed permissible. (Study Guide
Section A, 1.4.3.1)
Question 2: According to the Unisa College of Law, references to sources in
academic work must be placed in which of the following?
A. In the text according to the author's preference.
B. In endnotes.
C. In footnotes.
D. In either endnotes or footnotes according to the writer’s preference.
CORRECT ANSWER: C. In footnotes.
Rationale: The Unisa College of Law prescribes that references to sources must be
placed in footnotes . This is a mandatory formatting requirement for all academic
submissions within the college, ensuring consistency and proper attribution. The
college does not permit author-date systems, endnotes, or discretionary placement of
references.
Question 3: The Unisa College of Law uses which of the following referencing styles
from 2021 onwards?
A. The APA referencing style.
B. The Harvard referencing style.
C. The Chicago referencing style.
D. The OSCOLA referencing style.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. The OSCOLA referencing style.
,Rationale: From 2021, the Unisa College of Law officially adopted the OSCOLA (Oxford
Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities) referencing style . This is a specific
footnote-based style widely used in legal academic writing. While Unisa uses a version
based on OSCOLA as contained in Tutorial Letter 302, the core style is OSCOLA . The
other options represent different referencing styles that are not prescribed by the
college.
Question 4: Which of the following is the CORRECT way to include an Act (e.g.,
Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977) in your bibliography when you have relied on a
specific section and used a short reference in the text?
A. The full (long) reference only but with the specific section number.
B. The short reference of the Act, followed by the full (long) reference.
C. The full (long) reference only without the specific section number.
D. The full (long) reference followed by the short reference.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. The full (long) reference followed by the short reference.
Rationale: When citing legislation in the bibliography using the prescribed OSCOLA-
based style, the correct format is to provide the full (long) reference of the Act first,
followed by the short reference in parentheses . The full reference includes the title and
the year and number, while the short reference (e.g., "CPA") is used in footnotes.
Specific section numbers are cited in footnotes, not in the bibliography .
Question 5: Which one of the following acts does NOT amount to plagiarism?
A. Submitting the exact same assignment as your classmate.
B. Translating a chapter from a French book into English without acknowledging the
original source.
C. Copying a chapter from a book for which the copyright has lapsed without
acknowledging the source.
D. Quoting from a chapter in a book and adding a footnote to acknowledge your source.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. Quoting from a chapter in a book and adding a footnote to
acknowledge your source.
Rationale: Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's work, ideas, or words as
your own without proper acknowledgment. Quoting a source and adding a footnote to
acknowledge the original author is the correct academic practice and does not
constitute plagiarism . The other options all involve using someone else's work without
acknowledgment—submitting a classmate's work, translating without citing the source,
or copying without acknowledgment—all of which constitute plagiarism regardless of
copyright status . (Study Guide Section A, 1.11)
Question 6: Under which heading of your research proposal would you set out the
basic theory relevant to your research?
A. Introduction.
B. Points of departure and assumptions.
, C. Research methodology.
D. Problem statement.
CORRECT ANSWER: B. Points of departure and assumptions.
Rationale: The "Points of departure and assumptions" heading is where you set out the
basic theory and foundational assumptions relevant to your research . This section
establishes the theoretical framework and underlying principles that inform your study.
The introduction provides background, the problem statement identifies the research
issue, and the research methodology describes how you will conduct the research—
none of these sections is the primary location for setting out basic theory.
Question 7: Which of the following statements regarding footnotes is FALSE?
A. A footnote may only contain information about one source at a time.
B. Every source mentioned in the footnotes should also be mentioned in the
bibliography.
C. Every footnote should end with a full stop.
D. Footnote numbers in the text should be inserted after the punctuation mark.
CORRECT ANSWER: C. Every footnote should end with a full stop.
Rationale: According to the prescribed referencing style, footnotes do not necessarily
end with a full stop . The other statements are true: a footnote typically contains
information about one source at a time , all sources cited in footnotes must appear in
the bibliography , and footnote numbers in the text are placed after punctuation marks
such as full stops and commas . (Study Guide Section A)
Question 8: Which of the following statements is CORRECT regarding the detail that
should be contained in your bibliography as per the prescribed referencing style?
A. The bibliography should contain the exact page number of a book on which you found
the information.
B. The bibliography should not contain the edition number of a book, as that is only
indicated in the footnotes.
C. The bibliography should contain the date of use of a website.
D. The bibliography should not contain the exact page number of an article on which you
found the relevant information.
CORRECT ANSWER: D. The bibliography should not contain the exact page number
of an article on which you found the relevant information.
Rationale: In the bibliography, you list the full reference for a source, but you do not
include the specific page number where you found the information—that detail belongs
in the footnote . The bibliography should include edition numbers, and while it may
include the date of access for websites (when required), the key point is that exact page
numbers are not included in the bibliography entry .
