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as government documents, newspapers, unpublished manuscripts, images,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
