ipso facto

Within law - and I suppose within most fields - there are a handful of recurring ways in which research resolves.  To take two boring examples: a topic may turn out to be simply unknown to the literature or else clearly settled.  Some of the other pattern outcomes are more interesting.  For example, a topic may turn out to be a false topic - something that is actually about something else.  Or, a topic can be a unit finding exercise - really about whether an object is to be considered one or many.  And so on.

Vague I know.  But it enjoyable to get to the point in research where, even if I don't know the answers to my questions, I can at least look around and say ah yes, this kind of resolution again.