Do you struggle to keep up-to-date with new historical research?
Anyone who writes about history knows that it can be a challenge to keep up with the latest scholarship.
In this post you will learn about the 5 methods I use to stay current on historical scholarship.
Method 1: Academic Journals
Journals will help you stay current on the latest scholarship.
They provide a wealth of information even if you lack the time to read every article (most historians do).
Open a journal, read its table of contents, and read/skim the articles and book reviews that interest you and/or apply to your research. This technique will help you stay informed.
Here is a list of the academic journals I read/skim.
General History
American Historical Review
Early American History
The William and Mary Quarterly
Journal of Early American History
History of New York
Method 2: H-Net
H-Net “creates and coordinates Internet networks with the common objective of advancing teaching and research in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.”
Through H-Net you can subscribe to over 100 different e-mail lists that focus on different aspects of history. H-Net lists are a great way to learn about history-related jobs, conferences, fellowships, and research. They also provide access to a global network of historians. Historians use H-Net to pose, answer, and discuss questions about scholarship, sources, and interpretation.
H-Net is in the process of transferring to a new, more versatile platform called H-Net Commons. If you can’t find a list for your topic of study on H-Net be sure to check out H-Net Commons.
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Method 3: Blogs
Blogs about history will also keep you abreast of scholarship. Some blogs read like newspapers about history and scholarship, others discuss the minutiae of research.
I subscribe to a number of blogs, which I check each morning.
History Organizations
AHA Today by the American Historical Association
History @ Work by the National Council on Public History
History Publications
The Journal of the American Revolution
Archives, Libraries, & Museums
The Past is Present the American Antiquarian Society Blog
The Beehive: The Official Blog of the Massachusetts Historical Society
Historian Blogs (I subscribe to over 35 blogs written by historians. This list comprises the most active blogs. I have listed them in alphabetical order by historian/blogger.)
Boston1775 by J.L. Bell
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics by Mark R. Cheathem
The Last Campaign: Legislative Branch, Presidential Legacy, and Related Matters by Anthony J. Clark
The Way of Improvement Leads Home by John Fea
In the Words of Women, a group blog kept by independent historians who study women’s history
Keith Harris History by Keith Harris
The Junto Blog: A Group Blog on Early American History
Historiann: History and Sexual Politics, 1492-Present by Ann M. Little
American Studier by Ben Railton
That Devil History by Jared Ruminski
To Breathe Your Free Air by John D. Wilsey
Method 4: Twitter
Many historians tweet information about their work as well as links to articles about new scholarship.
Method 5: Conferences
Try to attend at least one history conference each year.
Even if you can't make it to a conference, peruse the conference program. Conference programs contain paper titles, which will provide you with a good idea about the different research projects historians are working on.
What Do You Suggest?
How do you keep up with the the latest historical scholarship?
Which history blogs do you read?
Leave a comment, send me an e-mail, or tweet me.
