Lessons Learned from History 304 Research Project

As a brief follow up to my research project on the Shelling of Carlisle, I realize that there were many things that I overlooked. In particular, I overlooked important manuscript collections such as the Himes collection and the Turner collection (both located at the Cumberland County Historical Society). I also realized that the way I went about my research was very unorganized and I did not refer back and forth between different sources (both secondary and primary). However, this research project has made me aware of the mistakes that I made, so that I do not make them in the future. In general, I found this a very helpful project because it made me aware of how to improve my research in future projects. I can conclude that there were two main lessons that I took away from my research project that I feel other history students can benefit from. Though they may seem obvious, they are very easy mistakes to make and they must be avoided in order to accomplish productive and effective research.
The first important lesson that I found to be imperative to my research project was careful note taking. When I first started my research, my notes were messy and unclear because I was rushing to get as much information as possible in a short amount of time. I think that messy note taking is something that many people are guilty of and it seriously impairs research. To be somewhat cliche, the expression “haste makes waste” has a definite validity when applied to researching. When going back to look over notes, messy writing complicates accuracy. Along with taking clear notes is keeping careful record of where information comes from and all information needed for citing the source. I mad the mistake of forgetting to write source locations and this made my research tedious because I needed to re trace my steps in order to re-find sources.
The second essential lesson goes hand and hand with careful note taking – taking time, and not rushing. As Professor Osborne has repeatedly told me, history takes time, a lot of time. In order to careful and complete research, there can be no rushing or skimming information. When I began my research project, I would only allow myself a couple of hours a day to do research. It did not take long for me to realize that putting a time limit on research was totally impractical. I would advise anyone doing research to make research a commitment by setting aside many hours of time in order to assure thoroughness and accuracy.