Methodology in Historical Research: Data Collection and Interpretation

This essay delves into the methodology of historical research, a systematic approach to understanding the past. It explores the unique challenges of historical inquiry, emphasizing the importance of authenticating and interpreting data. The essay outlines the use of primary and secondary sources, and the critical analysis of sources through internal and external criticism. It further discusses historical reasoning, emphasizing context, causality, and coherence. The purpose of historical research is to provide an accurate, unbiased, and complete understanding of past events. The essay highlights the dynamic and evolving nature of historical research, where new evidence and perspectives continuously shape our understanding of the past, and concludes by stressing the need for accuracy and authenticity in historical accounts to inform present-day decisions. The paper examines the specific research methods and techniques used by historians, including exploring, comprehending, and interpreting historical data.

Running head: METHODOLOGY IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Methodology in Historical Research
Student’s name
University
Author’s note

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METHODOLOGY IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Research methodology is a systematic way to solve the problems embedded in a
particular research problem. It involves scientific processes or technique that is used to identify,
select, and analyze information about an academic issue and thereby process the same in order to
arrive at a tenable conclusion. Moreover, the merit of the methodology used in an academic
research determines the validity and reliability of the same. Although there are some specific
research methodologies, every academic discipline adheres to a particular research methodology.
As the collection, analysis and processing of data are variedly distinct in different academic
discipline, they employ distinct research methods, thus adhering to distinct research
methodologies (Kumar, 2019).
Unlike other traditional academic disciplines, History is rather a vast area of study. It is
essentially the study of the past. The particular academic discourse deals with events, societies
and people of the bygone era. However, History is far more complex than just jotting down dates
and names. It involves the past choices and events, that led up to the foundation of the
contemporary human society. Hence, it is important to record authentic details, supported by
tenable documents. Oftentimes, the terms ‘history’ and ‘past’ are used synonymously. However,
that is not the case. The past refers to a bygone time, whereas History refers to the process of
recording, analyzing and explaining the past. In this sense, History can be described as a tool to
comprehend the evolution of ideas (Carr, 2018).
Unlike past events, the academic discipline of History is dynamic and constantly
changing. Historians are always in search for new evidences, sources, methodological tools and
approaches to discover a new aspect of the past societies and times, as nothing is finite or
definite in terms of its historical value. For example, the inclusion of women and minorities’

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perspective in analyzing past societies and events has shed new light on historical research.
Given the tenets of the contemporary philosophy of history, the academic discourse has to
distinguish speculative philosophy of history and critical or analytical philosophy of history. The
former concerns itself with the study of meaning and purpose of history, whereas the latter
ponders over the foundation and implications of history (Roth, 2016). In purview of this demand,
the academic discipline has developed particular research methods and techniques, formulating a
unique research methodology for Historical research.
The specific research methodology used by the historians, include exploring,
comprehending and interpreting historical data. Such information is categorized into primary and
secondary source. Primary sources include written documents and eyewitness reports. Secondary
sources, on the other hand, include secondary description, archeological artefacts, oral traditions
etc. Further, the authenticity, relevance and validity of the data is scrutinized by the method of
source criticism. This is further categorized into internal and external criticism, in which the
latter examines the authenticity of the document itself and the former deals with the reliability
and meaning of the same (Lewenson & McAllister, 2015). It is imperative that the validity and
authenticity of the document itself is verified prior to the use of its content into any academic
research. Garraghan and Delangez categorize source criticism into six specific inquiries, namely
the time period, localization, analysis, authorship, integrity and credibility (Johannessen, 2017).
However, anonymous sources are also considered at times as historical resource when there is a
lack of credible, authentic source to fill the gap in chronological research. Once evidences and
information are gathered, hypotheses are formed and tested by historical reasoning. Leinhardt et
al. defines historical reasoning as “the process by which central facts about events and structures
as well as concepts or themes are arranged to build an interpretative historical case” (as cited by

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Van Boxtel & van Drie, 2018). The particular framework of thought should take notice of five
fundamental principles, namely context, causality, contingency, clarity and coherence
(Lewenson & McAllister, 2015). Thus, after collecting, scrutinizing and organization of the data,
the body of information awaits exposition and interpretation. However, there are no fixed rules
for these processes, as it presupposes particular worldview, approach and philosophical
perspective of the researcher. This is what makes historical research diverse and dynamics,
providing the flexibility that it entails.
The purpose of historical research is to present a reliable detail of the past in order to gain
a complete understanding of the present. The knowledge gathered from such discourses on the
past societies and events enable the present society to refrain from repeating past mistakes.
Hence, accuracy, unbiasedness and authenticity are the chief requirements in historical accounts.
To this end, historical method aims to provide the necessary validity and authenticity in the field
of historical research.

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References
Carr, E. H. (2018). What is history? Penguin UK.
Johannessen, H. (2017). Teaching source criticism to students in higher education: A practical
approach. In Media and Information Literacy in Higher Education (pp. 89-105). Chandos
Publishing.
Kumar, R. (2019). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage Publications
Limited.
Lewenson, S. B., & McAllister, A. (2015). Learning the historical method: step by step. Nursing
Research Using Historical Methods, Qualitative Designs and Methods in Nursing, 1-22.
Lewenson, S. B., & McAllister, A. (2015). Learning the historical method: step by step. Nursing
Research Using Historical Methods, Qualitative Designs and Methods in Nursing, 1-22.
Roth, P. A. (2016). Philosophy of History. In The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Social
Science (pp. 417-427). Routledge.
Van Boxtel, C., & van Drie, J. (2018). Historical reasoning: Conceptualizations and educational
applications. The Wiley international handbook of history teaching and learning, 149-
176.