Doctoral students across the globe opt for different strategies for conducting research in order to create excellent research document. Conducting research is considered to be one of the most important aspects of dissertation writing process. This blog of mine helps you in understanding the definition and function of archive research.
An archive is actually a collection of documents and records available for the chosen research topic. By conducting an archive research, it becomes quite convenient for you to gather a wealth of valuable and unusual information for your research paper writing process. Archive comprises of unpublished manuscripts, personal letters and papers, business records and memos and other historical documents. Here is a pictorial representation of different steps in archive research:
Visiting Archives - You can visit different libraries in order to collect important information regarding your chosen research topic. There are some archives which aren’t open to the public and must hence be gained an access to.
Handling Archive Materials - Since archive materials are unique and precious, they must be handled with utmost care. There might be times when you might require wearing gloves and using a book cradle. Do remember to keep the manuscripts flat and avoid exposing them to direct light.
Citing archival collections and unpublished manuscripts - You should reference your source in the same manner as it has been catalogued by the archival collection itself. While citing the unpublished manuscripts, include all details such as collection name, box number, folder number and document details.
Hope the information furnished in this blog would have definitely helped you gather a brilliant amount of information about archive research.
