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HIST 301: The Historian's Craft (Schechter, Fall 2023)

Books aren't all the same

There are different types of books, each with a different amounts & type of information. Examples:

  • Reference Books
  • Overviews
  • Bibliographies
  • Argumentative Studies

Reference Books

These are very broad works meant to give you a basic overview of a topic. They are only meant as a starting point.

We keep them in their own section of the library and are really meant to direct us to other books.

Overviews (Edited volumes)

These books, edited to include many authors, provides a top-down discussion of the topic. They are a good place to find academic essays on a topic, especially if you don't need a full book of information on the subject. 

Downside: they are topical and don't usually have a narrative. Great for specific topics but not ideal for a start-to-finish overview.

Overviews (Single Author Narratives)

There are books written by one (or sometimes several) authors who provide a narrative overview of the topic. 

Good for an introduction and overview, though it means the whole books reflects their views & ideas alone.

Dissertations

For this class you won't use a dissertation, but they are an example of an Extremely focused book-length project.

They are not technically peer reviewed nor published, and are designed to highlight entirely original research. A dissertation is required to obtain a PhD.