Research in Cybercrime: Why to not use the Black-letter Approach?

Driven by the rapid technological advancements and increasing global connectivity, cybercrime has emerged as a pervasive and evolving threat to almost all societies today. Gaining useful insights into the very nature of this multifaceted phenomenon requires adopting innovative and robust research approaches. For many centuries, legal research was dominated by doctrinal approaches. This paper explores the various aspects of cybercrime research and analyses the suitability of the conventional doctrinal approach to the mandates of cybercrime research. The paper argues that the efficacy of cybercrime research rests largely on the ability of this research to encompass and utilise the technical and behavioural aspects of the phenomenon of cybercrime. The paper utilises a conceptual methodological approach to articulate the arguments presented and to leverage the theoretical tenets of qualitative analysis for the specific purpose of synthesising the various epistemological positions. This was done within inductive and deductive frameworks. Drawing on the interdisciplinary perspectives of sociology, computer sciences, and legal studies, the paper concludes that cybercrime research should adhere to interdisciplinary approaches to advance its scholarship and to enhance the validity and reliability of cybercrime research.