LibGuides: History Hub: Designing Research Pathways

Designing Research Pathways for History

How do historians work?
What methods are used in historical scholarship?
How do you find historiographies that are relevant to your research?

Explore the resources below for guidance on creating and implementing a research pathway:

Research Methods

Reference Sources

Historical Research Methods

From visiting archives to transcribing oral histories, research methods in historical scholarship vary widely depending on theme, geographic context, time period, and more. Explore these resources on research methods to identify an approach that works for you

The Princeton Guide to Historical Research by Zachary Schrag
ISBN: 9780691215488
Decolonizing Methodologies by Linda Tuhiwai Smith
ISBN: 1786998149
Understanding Critical Race Research Methods and Methodologies by Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby (Editor); Thandeka K. Chapman (Editor); Paul A Schutz (Editor)
ISBN: 1351587625
Critical Research Methodologies by Rose Ann Torres (Volume Editor); Dionisio Nyaga (Volume Editor)
ISBN: 9004445552
Imagining Queer Methods by Amin Ghaziani (Editor); Matt Brim (Editor)
ISBN: 1479821020
Historical Research, Creative Writing, and the Past by Kevin A. Morrison (Editor); Pälvi Rantala (Editor)
ISBN: 9781032180885

Reference Works in History

Reference works, also called tertiary sources, gather, index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources. Some examples of reference works include textbooks, dictionaries and encyclopedias, manuals and guidebooks, almanacs, indexes, and bibliographies.

Explore this curated list of reference works to learn more about trends and themes in historical scholarship and to identify key resources related to your research areas.

Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
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Electronic access to all 350 volumes in 10 subject areas, 1960-present
1960-present; Cambridge Histories Online allows instant access to the renowned texts of the Cambridge Histories series. Subject areas include: American history, regional history, British history, general history, economic history, religious studies, literary studies, political and social theory, language and linguistics, music, theatre studies and performing arts, history of the book, philosophy, history of science, and warfare.
Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window
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An index to articles, books and dissertations on world history about the 15th century to the-present.
1954-present; article abstracts and citations of books and dissertations on the history of the world from 1450 to the-present. Excludes the U. S. and Canada.
Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window
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Oxford Bibliographies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides across a variety of subject areas.
Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
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Provides access to review essays that evaluate the current thinking on a field or topic, current.
2012-2020; Oxford Handbooks Online: Scholarly Research Reviews brings together the world's leading scholars to write review essays that evaluate the current thinking on a field or topic, and make an original argument about the future direction of the debate. OHO is a collection of the best Handbooks in 14 subject areas. The series contain in-depth, high-level articles by scholars at the top of their field. All Handbooks are available online as well as in print, and monthly updates introduce articles in advance of print publication.
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
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Search 2 million entries spanning 25 subject areas across Oxford University Press dictionaries, companions, and encyclopedias, current.
Current; the core collection of Oxford Reference Online brings together 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works published by the Oxford University Press into a single cross-searchable resource. The Premium Collection offers all of the above, plus added functionality and more detailed information across a broad subject range from titles in the world-renowned Oxford Companions Series, to enhance the coverage already provided by the Core Collection.

How Historians Work, Doing History podcast

How Historians Work series •
This series focuses on how scholars frame historical problems; research in different kinds of archives; analyze primary materials including text, objects, and images; synthesize and critically engage secondary literature; present their work for collaborative feedback; and work with editors and publishers.
Stream all episodes: https://doinghistorypodcast.com/category/how-historians-work/

Episode 3: How Historians Research with Jennifer L. Morgan

In this episode, we investigate how historians research history by exploring the experiences of 17th- and 18th-century enslaved African and African American women. Our guide for this exploration is Jennifer L. Morgan, a Professor of History and Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University.