Historical Research

Historical research is a process of collecting and interpreting data about past events or ideas in order to find how they affected the present events and ideas. It studies possible reasons behind certain events to explain their influence on the events that followed. Historical research may not just help to figure out connections between past and present events, it can also provide the researchers with information regarding possible future events.

Historical research mainly relies on first-hand information sources such as historical records, books, photographs, letters, evidence that belongs to the time the research focuses on.  To put it simply, those sources are written by someone who was a participant or direct witness of the event. Secondary source materials - books and articles are written sometime after the events can also contribute to research to some extent. However, one should keep in mind that secondary sources of information can be more biased because they usually contain data that the authors wrote using multiple sources. It is worth mentioning that primary sources can also be biased, and because the research is looking for the answers in the past, there is no guarantee for information accuracy.

Historical research involves the following steps:

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

Advantages

•     No other method provides us with an opportunity to find insights about past events.
•     Identifying key elements of past negative events can play a significant role in preventing      certain similar circumstances. In other words, it can teach a history lesson.
•     A researcher is not involved with the event.

Limitations

•     Sources may not be reliable and may represent misleading facts about the events.
•     Not all past events can be studied because of the lack of evidence and source materials. It gets more challenging to have research if the events are from a more distant past.