Online Sources for Historians

Course Details

The tools available online to the historical researcher are number, immensely diverse and constantly expanding. Internet resources have become an integral feature of many parts of the process of research for most historians: online bibliographies and library catalogues have made the gathering of secondary literature far easier, and the growing mass of digitised primary source material has not only greatly increased ease of access, but opened up the evidence to new and very powerful types of computer-assisted analysis. This one-day course provides an intensive introduction to using the internet as a tool for academic historical research, demonstrating the most useful resources, and teaching techniques to make the best use of them.

The course  covers British, European and world history from the Romans to the present, but with an emphasis on resources in English.

Topics covered will include:

• Search techniques: Booleans, wildcards and choosing search terms
• Search engines: making the best use of Google and non-specialist tools

Reference tools

• Secondary sources: bibliographies, library catalogues and accessing full text online
• Primary sources: locating traditional archival sources using the net
• Primary sources: digital and digitised sources
• Debate, discussion and publication online
• Database deposition and data archives

Applications are welcome from postgraduates, academics and all who are interested in using the net as a tool for historical research.

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Please note that this course will be taking place in-person only, and that the number of places available is limited.

In order to provide an interactive, dynamic short course experience the IHR requires a minimum number of delegates to run the short course.

If a course is cancelled due to low enrolment, delegates will be offered the option of a refund or a transfer on to the same course at a later date.