historical documents methodology

Historical Research Method: Home

What is historical research.

Historical research  or historiography , "attempts to systematically recapture the complex nuances, the people,meanings,events,and even ideas of the past that have influenced and shaped the present". (Berg & Lure, 2012, p. 305 )

Historical research relies on a wide variety of sources, both primary & secondary including unpublished material. 

Primary Sources

• Eyewitness accounts of events
• Can be oral or written testimony
• Found in public records & legal documents, minutes of meetings, corporate records, recordings, letters, diaries, journals, drawings.
• Located in university archives, libraries or privately run collections such as local historical society.

Secondary Sources

• Can be oral or written
• Secondhand accounts of events
• Found in textbooks, encyclopedias, journal articles, newspapers, biographies and other media such as films or tape recordings.

Steps in Historical Research

Historical research involves the following steps:

• Identify an idea, topic or research question
• Conduct a background literature review
• Refine the research idea and questions
• Determine that historical methods will be the method used
• Identify and locate primary and secondary data sources
• Evaluate the authenticity and accuracy of source materials
• Analyze the date and develop a narrative exposition of the findings.

(Berg & Lune, 2012, p.311)

Locating Information: Libraries

In addition to raw data and unpublished manuscripts, libraries also hold back copies of journals and newspapers.

• Western Australia
• ECU Library
• Curtin University
• Murdoch University
• Notre Dame University
• State Library of W.A.
• Trove Books, images, historic newspapers, maps, music, archives and more
• WorldCat Can limit to archival and downloadable

Locating information - Archives

• National Archives of Australia
• UK Government Web Archive
• National Archives (U.S.)
• Nursing History: Historical Methodology Produced by the AAHN

Key Sources

• Pandora PANDORA, Australia's Web Archive was established by the National Library in 1996 and is a collection of historic online publications relating to Australia and Australians. Online publications and web sites are selected for inclusion in the collection with the purpose of providing long-term and persistent access to them.
• Directory of Archives in Australia
• RSL Living History The Listening Post is the official organ of the RSL in Western Australia and was first published in December 1921. The first two decades of the Listening Post, are now available online for viewing with more scheduled releases throughout the year.
• Internet Archive Digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.
• Repositories of primary sources
• The national union catalog of manuscript collections (United States)
• National Technical Information Service (U.S.) Provides access to a large collection of historical and current government technical reports that exists in many academic, public, government, and corporate libraries.
• A history of nursing Four vols available online
• British Journal of Nursing The journal contains a wide range of information about hospitals, wards, staff, patients, illness and diseases, medicine and treatments, hospital equipment and events.
• Directory of history of medicine colections U.S. National Library of medicine. National Institutes of Health
• The Australian Nursing and Midwifery History Project
• Nursing Studies Index An annotated guide to reported studies, research methods, and historical and biographical materials in periodicals, books, and pamphlets published in English. Prepared by Yale University.
• Early experieneces in Australasia: Primary sources and personal nattatives, 1788-1901 Provides a unique and personal view of events in the region from the arrival of the first settlers through to Australian Federation at the close of the nineteenth century. Includes first-person accounts, including letters and diaries, narratives, and other primary source materials.

Locating Information: Museums

• Alfred Archives Alfred Hospital, Melbourne
• Florence Nightingale Museum (U.K.) London
• London Museums of Health & Medicine
• National Museum Australia. Research Centre National Museum Australia
• Nursing Museum Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital
• Virtual Museum South Australian Medical Heritage Society
• W.A. Medical Museum Harvey House, King Edward Memorial Hospital

Locating Information: Historical Societies

• Directory of Australian Historical Societies at Society hill Extensive list of historical societies throughout Australia
• Royal Australian Historical Society Sydney
• Royal Western Australian Historical Society

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• Last Updated: Feb 7, 2024 10:52 AM
• URL: https://ecu.au.libguides.com/historical-research-method

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