Systematic Literature Reviews as a Method for Legal Research: From Research Design to Practice
Cecilia Isola (NOVA School of Law)
13 November 2026, 11.00 – 16.30, UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles
Language: English
Cecilia Isola is a postdoctoral researcher in European Private Law at NOVA School of Law in Lisbon. She obtained her PhD in Security, Risk and Vulnerability from the University of Genoa in November 2025, and her research interests lie at the intersection of law and technology, with a particular focus on EU law, consumer law and digital regulation. Her research has been published in leading journals in the field, relevant publications include “A Systematic Literature Review on Dark Patterns for the Legal Community: Definitional Clarity and a Legal Classification Based on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive”, co-authored with Fabrizio Esposito, and “Back to the Future-Proof? Four Reforms for the Better Regulation of Dark Patterns under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and Article 25 of the Digital Services Act”, co-authored with Fabrizio Esposito, Cristiana Santos and Martim Farinha. She is also the Main Proposer and Chair of the COST Action ConsciousTech: Normative Consciousness in the Tech Community, a European Union-funded interdisciplinary network bringing together researchers working on normative questions arising from digital technologies.
During this doctoral workshop, participants will be introduced to the method of systematic literature reviews and explore how it can be applied to legal research, drawing on Cecilia Isola’s experience conducting interdisciplinary reviews at the intersection of law and technology. The workshop will examine how systematic approaches can be used to identify, select, organise and synthesise existing knowledge, and how they can complement more traditional forms of legal research. Particular attention will be paid to the methodological choices involved in designing a review and to the challenges that arise when legal research engages with interdisciplinary bodies of literature.
Programme
11.00 – 12.00: Interview on Academic Trajectory
Moderated by Anne-Lise Sibony
12.00 – 13.00: Lunch
13.00 – 14.30: Presentation: Systematic Literature Reviews in Legal Research
Introduction to systematic literature reviews and their use in legal research. The session will cover the main steps involved in designing a systematic review, including formulating the research question, developing a review protocol, defining inclusion and exclusion criteria, selecting databases and other sources, and developing an effective search strategy.
14.30 – 15.00: Coffee Break
15.00 – 16.30: Discussion and Practical Workshop
Participants will work on a practical case designed to guide them through the key stages of a systematic literature review, including the formulation of the research question, the development of the search strategy and the definition of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The session will conclude with a Q&A focused on the participants’ own research topics and on how systematic reviews could be adapted to their specific projects.
In preparation for the workshop, participants are invited to read:
Maciej Pichlak, Krzysztof J Kaleta and Agata Nawacka, ‘Systematic Literature Review Method in Legal Research: Prospects and Challenges’ (2025) Law and Method, available open access here: https://www.boomportaal.nl/tijdschrift/LaM/lawandmethod-D-25-00001