It’s been almost 30 years since the first edition of Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing was first published. Newly revised and updated, the sixth edition of this bestselling guide helps students at all levels meet the challenge of writing their first (or their first “real”) research paper.
Presenting various schools of thought, this useful tool explores the dynamic, nature, and professional history of research papers, and shows readers how to identify, find, and evaluate both primary and secondary sources for their own writing assignments.
This new edition addresses the shifting nature of historical study over the last twenty years. Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing includes:
Advanced Placement high school and undergraduate college students taking history courses at every level will benefit from the engaging, thoughtful, and down-to-earth advice within this hands-on guide.
Anthony Brundage is Professor of History Emeritus at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, USA. Among his publications are seven books, the most recent of which, co-authored with Richard Cosgrove is British Historians and National Identity: From Hume to Churchill.
This edition first published 2018
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Edition History
Harlan Davidson, Inc. (1e, 1989; 2e, 1997; 3e, 2002; 4e, 2008) John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (5e, 2013)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by law. Advice on how to obtain permission to reuse material from this title is available at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
The right of Anthony Brundage to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with law.
Registered Office
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
Editorial Office
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA
For details of our global editorial offices, customer services, and more information about Wiley products visit us at www.wiley.com.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some content that appears in standard print versions of this book may not be available in other formats.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The contents of this work are intended to further general scientific research, understanding, and discussion only and are not intended and should not be relied upon as recommending or promoting scientific method, diagnosis, or treatment by physicians for any particular patient. In view of ongoing research, equipment modifications, changes in governmental regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to the use of medicines, equipment, and devices, the reader is urged to review and evaluate the information provided in the package insert or instructions for each medicine, equipment, or device for, among other things, any changes in the instructions or indication of usage and for added warnings and precautions. While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this work, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives, written sales materials or promotional statements for this work. The fact that an organization, website, or product is referred to in this work as a citation and/or potential source of further information does not mean that the publisher and authors endorse the information or services the organization, website, or product may provide or recommendations it may make. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a specialist where appropriate. Further, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Brundage, Anthony, 1938- author.
Title: Going to the sources : a guide to historical research and writing / Anthony Brundage.
Description: Sixth edition. | Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016052002 | ISBN 9781119262749 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781119262855 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: History–Methodology. | History–Research. | History–Research–Data
processing. | Historiography.
Classification: LCC D16 .B893 2017 | DDC 907.2–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016052002
Cover image: © clu/Gettyimages
Cover design by Wiley
To My Students
This book developed out of a course on history methods that I have taught to upper division history majors for many years. As anyone who has taught a methodology course can attest, it can be either a uniquely rewarding or a deeply frustrating experience; usually it is both. Typically students approach the course with some apprehension. Up to this point their academic encounters with history have been chiefly in the form of lecture-discussion courses, a format with which they feel relatively secure. In the History Methods class they suddenly find themselves on unfamiliar terrain, confronted with new, sometimes perplexing challenges. Fortunately, often mingled with this apprehension is a sense of excitement about the prospect of achieving new levels of understanding the discipline, as well as of acquiring a new set of research and writing skills. It was in the hope of fostering the excitement, allaying the apprehension, and developing these skills that I undertook the writing of this book.
Central tomy own sense of the excitement of history is an appreciation of it as an open-ended and dynamic field. Developing that awareness in others is an important source of satisfaction forme as a teacher of history. I have therefore structuredmy course and this book around the concept of history as a dynamic process. The common tendency to view history as fixed and static is best overcome by exploring the ways in which historians actually go about examining the past, constantly searching for fresh patterns andmeanings, and developing new methodologies to achieve them. Accordingly, an introductory chapter on historiography (the history of history writing) sets the stage for a discussion of the types of historical sources and of the organization of the historical profession in Chapter 2.
Chapter 3, on how to locate your sources, is the central chapter as far as research methods are concerned. It is a detailed, practical guide through the various resources that enable you to identify and obtain themost important books, articles, essays, and othermaterials relating to your topic. Once this knowledge is acquired, the essential bibliography on any historical topic can be located readily. Fostering one’s ability to operate as a competent, self-directed researcher is one of the major goals of this book.
Chapter 4 explains how to give any work of history a critical reading; it provides youwith the tools to grasp the structure of the work and the author’s main interpretive points. By comparing two books seemingly on the same topic, it shows the different approaches and strategies historians deploy in creating their work. It also explains the major points one should include when writing a book review. Chapter 5 considers the uses of visual media by historians, both in enhancing scholarship and in posing some critical challenges to authors as well as to readers.
Chapter 6, entirely new to this edition, considers the various publics with an interest in history, and the ways in which historians have responded to their needs, including the use of early electronic media like radio.The ways in which some journalists provide significant historicalmaterial and perspective to their readers, viewers, and listeners is also considered. Finally,we examine the field of public history,which provides valuable engagement with historical materials and sites for visitors to the many museums, libraries, national parks, galleries, and similar institutions both public and private.
Chapters 7 and 8 explore the methods of writing two common assignments: the historiographic essay (an annotated example of which is included) and the research paper. This follows the sequence ofmy own teaching, in which a historiographic essay (based chiefly on secondary sources) is the centerpiece of the History Methods class, while a longer research paper (using primary as well as secondary sources) is assigned in the Senior Thesis and Seminar. Chapter 9 recapitulates some of the major points made in the book, in particular the theme of the open-ended nature of history. The achievement of creative insights and analyses is shown to be closely linked to the concept of history as a dynamic intellectual discipline.
Online databases for historical researchers have improved enormously in recent years, as have college library gateways to these databases. Internet research has become such a vital and central component of the historian’s toolkit that this edition gives it extended treatment. The book concludes with five helpful appendices, four of which provide easy-to-follow examples of formatting for footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography entries, while a final one lists commonly used abbreviations in scholarly works.