Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lecture 08 - Conducting Historical Research
Lecture 08 - Conducting Historical Research
Aims of Lecture:
Material:
Assessment
Class discussion
Targeted questioning
term that relates to past events as well as the memory, discovery, collection,
1
Dadu Vaibhav. Textbook of Padartha Vijnana and History of Ayurveda. Scientific Publishers, 2017.
2
- To make people aware of what has happened in the past so they may learn from past
explain –
It is not a mere accumulation of facts and data or even a portrayal of past events
It is a flowing, vibrant report of past events which involves an analysis and explanation
of these occurrences with the objective of recapturing the nuances, personalities and
Conducting historical research involves the process of collecting and reading the
research material collected and writing the manuscript from the data collected.
A. Documents :
o are written or printed materials that have been produced in some form or another
o artwork, bills, books, cartoons, circulars, court records, diaries, diplomas, legal
and so on.
test scores, attendance figures, census reports, school budgets, and the like.
C. Oral Statements : Forms of oral expression have been used by people through the ages
D. Records and Relics :bAny object whose physical or visual characteristics can provide
some information.
- Primary source is regarded as the source of the “best evidence”. Eg. One prepared by a
- Secondary source are information supplied by a person who was not a direct observer
Eg. A document prepared by an individual who was not a direct witness to an event but who
1. Defining the Problem: You may limit your investigation in one era or epoch and one
Examples:
b. Numerical records
c. Oral statements
d. Relics
a. Internal criticism
b. External criticism
7.1. External Criticism involves finding out if the source material is genuine and if it
possesses textual integrity (Gay, et al., 1972) ie. External criticism is concerned with
in External Criticism:
Was the author present at the event he or she is describing? In other words is
Did the author have any vested interest in the outcomes of the
event?
7.2. Internal criticism is concerned with the accuracy and meaning of the data contained in
the document. ( validity, credibility, or worth of the content of the document). It involves such
factors as competence, good faith, bias and general reputation of the author. It is positive in
nature when the researcher seeks to discover the literal and the real meaning of the text. It is
negative when the researcher tries to seek every possible reason for disbelieving the statement
made, questioning critically the competence, truthfulness or accuracy and honesty of the
author. Both positive and negative criticisms are essential in historical research but the
“What was the author attempting to say?” :Literal meaning and real meaning of
“What thought was the author trying to convey?”: Competence of the Observer
Truthfulness and Honesty. “What is the personal or vested interest of the author, if
any?” To what race, nation, party, region, social level, economic group, or profession,
Assignment:
In a group of 4 students, prepare a research proposal about either a literary or historical topic,