On Monday, February 17, 2026, the Private Law Department at Al-Alamein Institute for Graduate Studies organized a workshop on scientific research methodology for the department’s Master’s and PhD students. The workshop was held in the Al-Alamein Library Hall and was presented by Professor Dr. Dhameer Hussein Al-Maamouri and Professor Dr. Firas Karim Shiaan from the College of Law at the University of Babylon and lecturers in the Private Law Department at the institute.
The lecturers discussed a range of ideas and information relevant to graduate students during the writing stage, including the importance of adhering to a rigorous methodology, focusing on legal terminology and avoiding flowery language, and being cautious about generalizations, as this reflects the researcher's intellectual prowess, even though generalization in some cases is valid and necessary. They also noted that researchers sometimes include in the conclusion a set of findings that the research did not directly produce, making these findings extraneous. It is crucial that the conclusions be integral to the research. They emphasized that the conclusions are not limited to what the researcher writes in the conclusion but encompass everything the researcher arrives at throughout the research, whether at the end of a section, chapter, or part. Furthermore, they pointed out that researchers often cite references without citing the original sources, which is unfair to the pioneers of this field. A source is the one that first presents the information, and we do not recommend relying on a reference when the original source is available.
The professors also cautioned doctoral students against consulting master's theses, and even discouraged master's students from doing so. They emphasized the importance of students relying on Iraqi sources and utilizing Iraqi jurisprudence texts. The workshop concluded with an open discussion between students and lecturers, during which all student inquiries regarding scientific research were addressed.
