History

• The systematic collection and evaluation of data to describe, explain, and understand actions or events that occurred sometime in the past.
• There is no manipulation or control of variables as in experimental research.
• An attempt is made to reconstruct what happened during a certain period of time as completely and accurately as possible.

• To learn from past successes and failures.
• Learn how things were done in the past and apply them to current or future events.
• To assist in prediction.
• Lead to the confirmation or rejection of relational hypotheses.
• Understand the present practices and policies by understanding the history surrounding them.

Historical research involves the following steps:

1. Defining the Problem
2. Locating relevant sources
   1. Documents
   2. Numerical records
   3. Oral statements
   4. Relics
3. Summarizing information obtained from historical sources
4. Evaluation of historical sources
   1. Internal criticism
      1. What was meant by the author?
      2. How much credibility can be given to the author?
      3. What was the author trying to say?
      4. How could the authors word be interpreted?
      5. Does the document contain bias of any sort?
   2. External criticism
      1. Who wrote the document?
      2. For what purpose was the document written?
      3. When was the document written?
      4. Where was the document written?
      5. Under what conditions was the document written?
      6. Do different forms or versions of the document exist?