Historical Research

Fundamentally concerned with place, and our ability to understand human relationships with environment over time, Historical Geographic Information Systems (HGIS) as a tool and a subject has direct bearing for the study of contemporary environmental issues and realities. To date, HGIS projects in Canada are few and publications that discuss these projects directly even fewer. This book brings together case studies of HGIS projects in historical geography, social and cultural history, and environmental history from Canada's diverse regions. Projects include religion and ethnicity, migration, indigenous land practices, rebuilding a nineteenth-century neighborhood, and working with Google Earth.

Appropriate for undergraduate history students researching and writing dissertations, and postgraduate research students. This is the first practical guide to cover the various stages of a history research project, from the selection of the topic and the organization and interpretation of source material, through to the completion of the written-up record.

Aimed at students of history, this volume, originally published in 1928, examines the issues of impartiality and objectivity in the study of history. It also discusses the skills necessary for any would-be historian including the knowledge of foreign languages, the use of sources and note-taking.

The essential handbook for doing historical research in the twenty-first century The Princeton Guide to Historical Research provides students, scholars, and professionals with the skills they need to practice the historian's craft in the digital age, while never losing sight of the fundamental values and techniques that have defined historical scholarship for centuries. Zachary Schrag begins by explaining how to ask good questions and then guides readers step-by-step through all phases of historical research, from narrowing a topic and locating sources to taking notes, crafting a narrative, and connecting one's work to existing scholarship. He shows how researchers extract knowledge from the widest range of sources, such as government documents, newspapers, unpublished manuscripts, images, interviews, and datasets. He demonstrates how to use archives and libraries, read sources critically, present claims supported by evidence, tell compelling stories, and much more. Featuring a wealth of examples that illustrate the methods used by seasoned experts, The Princeton Guide to Historical Research reveals that, however varied the subject matter and sources, historians share basic tools in the quest to understand people and the choices they made. Offers practical step-by-step guidance on how to do historical research, taking readers from initial questions to final publication Connects new digital technologies to the traditional skills of the historian Draws on hundreds of examples from a broad range of historical topics and approaches Shares tips for researchers at every skill level

A book providing practical help to students at the graduate and postgraduate levels. What is given in the book is precise, clear and solid. The book's coverage and comprehensiveness, its scientific, analytical and critical treatment, its near perfect organization and arrangement, its clarity and easy methods of reference will make it a useful compendium for students and teachers. A teacher and lover of history the author has brought out philosophical, scientific, and ideological and linguistic perspectives to bear on the subject. Whether a student or teacher or a general reader, the manual can be expected to develop a healthy interest in history. The author has brought to bear philosophical, scientific, ideological and linguistic perspectives to bear on the subject.

Sophisticated, original and comprehensive, this book investigates photographic research practices and the conceptual and theoretical issues that underpin them. Using international case studies and 'behind the scenes' interviews, Penny Tinkler sets out research practices and explores the possibilities, and challenges, of working with different methods and photographic sources. The book guides the reader through all aspects of doing photographic research including practical issues and ethical considerations. Key topics include: - Working with images - Generating photos in research - Managing large archives and digital databases - Reviewing personal photos - Photo-elicitation interviews Written in a clear, accessible style, this dynamic book is essential reading for students and researchers working with photographs in history and the social sciences.

It’s been almost 30 years since the first edition of Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing was first published. Newly revised and updated, the sixth edition of this bestselling guide helps students at all levels meet the challenge of writing their first (or their first “real”) research paper. Presenting various schools of thought, this useful tool explores the dynamic, nature, and professional history of research papers, and shows readers how to identify, find, and evaluate both primary and secondary sources for their own writing assignments. This new edition addresses the shifting nature of historical study over the last twenty years. Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing includes: A new section analyzing attempts by authors of historical works to identify and cultivate the appropriate public for their writings, from scholars appealing to a small circle of fellow specialists, to popular authors seeking mass readership A handy style guide for creating footnotes, endnotes, bibliographical entries, as well as a list of commonly used abbreviations Advanced Placement high school and undergraduate college students taking history courses at every level will benefit from the engaging, thoughtful, and down-to-earth advice within this hands-on guide.

What, exactly, was the Charity Organization Society? Was it a cluster of affluent women imposing their moral propriety on the poor in the early 20th Century? Or was it the first concerted effort to professionalize previously random, subjective allocations of benefits and entitlements? This book will help researchers explore systematically such fascinating questions and debates in social work and social welfare history. Mastering how to pose historical questions is as essential as finding the answers. This book, from its wide-ranging coverage of historiographic theory to detailed guidelines for conducting oral history and archival research, offers clear and practical research tools: how to design a study, select primary sources, understand the vocabulary of archives, determine useful secondary sources, and analyze them all. The book also features a guide to archives and special collections that details their holdings, access and locations, and research grants - essential knowledge for any researcher. The thrill of stumbling across unexplored data in the stacks of a library is notorious. Now, this clearly written pocket guide will help established scholars as well as doctoral students get the most out of historical data.