Historian’s Handbook

The answers

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

FactExact or specific details or data that

have happened in the past; can be proven as true

In 1922, 233,315 people from Britain came to the Canadian prairies.

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

InferenceConclusions drawn from facts, data,

information or sources; predictions or conclusion drawn from facts

Example:

The population of the prairies more than doubled between 1901-1911. This supports the view that the government immigration plan was successful.

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

Bias (n): to be biasedTo be partial to one side, making it

impossible to judge fairly, based on beliefs, values

Canada is the perfect place to live.

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

PresentismApplying our own modern experiences

and judgements onto the actions of the past.

People should have paid more attention to the news and they should have stopped Hitler sooner.

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

Primary Evidencecomes from the time of the event first

hand account A diary, a letter, on the spot account, a

newspaper interview, sheet music artefacts

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

But… sometime pictures lieUlysses S. Grant at City Point

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

Secondary Evidenceproduced after the events, but based

on primary evidence, a second hand account

Books, journals, magazine articles, movies

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

Tertiary SourcesA tertiary source consists of

information which is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources.

Use the tertiary sources during your initial stages of research to:

Familiarize yourself with your topicGain a broad overviewGuide you to primary and secondary sources

Tertiary SourcesExamples:

NEVER CITE A TERTIARY SOURCE!!!!!

Where does Wikipedia fit in?

AlmanacsBibliographiesChronologiesDictionaries Encyclopedias

DirectoriesFact booksGuidebooksManualsTextbooks

Indexes & abstracts (Databases)

Wikipedia is a Tertiary SourceThe following is taken directly from Wikipedia:

Wikipedia can be a great tool for learning information. However, as with all sources, not everything in Wikipedia is accurate, comprehensive, or unbiased.

Many of the general rules of thumb for conducting research apply to Wikipedia, including:• Always be wary of any one single source (in any medium–

web, print, television or radio), or of multiple works that derive from a single source

• Where articles have references to external sources (whether online or not) read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says

• In all academic institutions, Wikipedia, along with most encyclopedias, is unacceptable as a major source for a research paper. Other encyclopedias, such as Britannica, have notable authors working for them and may be cited as a secondary source in most cases. For example, Cornell University has a guide on how to cite encyclopedias.

ReliabilityCredible, accuracy, trustworthy,

consistency A reliable source can be checked and

provides full details about the person responsible and the source of the information eg. A WWI website created by the Canadian government Hi

stor

ian’

s Ha

ndbo

ok

ChronologyA timeline of events from the oldest to

the most recent WWI occurred before WWII

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

Cause and ConsequenceFor every event or effect an event has

on us there are background causes which help us understand why the event occurred and why it is important

WWI: one of the causes of WWI was competition between countries for more land this led to numerous conflicts between countries Hi

stor

ian’

s Ha

ndbo

ok

Moral DimensionImplicit judgements: not expressed

openly but evident in behaviour, thought or action

Explicit judgements: openly stated

Hist

oria

n’s

Hand

book

Significance (1)An event is significant when it results

in change such that the event/person/development had deep consequences for many people, over a long period of time

The development of the nuclear bomb influenced the Cold War and gave us electricity generated by nuclear power. Hi

stor

ian’

s Ha

ndbo

ok

Significance (2)revealing: the

event/person/development sheds light on enduring or emerging issues (problems) in history (the problem might still exist)

The Holocaust and Residential Schools revealed the consequences of racist government policies. Hi

stor

ian’

s Ha

ndbo

ok

Significance (3)resonant or relevant: it was

important at some stage in history within the collective memory of a group or groups.

The 200th –year anniversary of the War of 1812 gave Prime Minister Harper a reason to celebrate Canadian History. Hi

stor

ian’

s Ha

ndbo

ok