Post on 18-Feb-2016
description
Historian’s Handbook
The answers
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FactExact or specific details or data that
have happened in the past; can be proven as true
In 1922, 233,315 people from Britain came to the Canadian prairies.
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InferenceConclusions drawn from facts, data,
information or sources; predictions or conclusion drawn from facts
Example:
The population of the prairies more than doubled between 1901-1911. This supports the view that the government immigration plan was successful.
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Bias (n): to be biasedTo be partial to one side, making it
impossible to judge fairly, based on beliefs, values
Canada is the perfect place to live.
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PresentismApplying our own modern experiences
and judgements onto the actions of the past.
People should have paid more attention to the news and they should have stopped Hitler sooner.
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Primary Evidencecomes from the time of the event first
hand account A diary, a letter, on the spot account, a
newspaper interview, sheet music artefacts
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But… sometime pictures lieUlysses S. Grant at City Point
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Secondary Evidenceproduced after the events, but based
on primary evidence, a second hand account
Books, journals, magazine articles, movies
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Tertiary SourcesA tertiary source consists of
information which is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources.
Use the tertiary sources during your initial stages of research to:
Familiarize yourself with your topicGain a broad overviewGuide you to primary and secondary sources
Tertiary SourcesExamples:
NEVER CITE A TERTIARY SOURCE!!!!!
Where does Wikipedia fit in?
AlmanacsBibliographiesChronologiesDictionaries Encyclopedias
DirectoriesFact booksGuidebooksManualsTextbooks
Indexes & abstracts (Databases)
Wikipedia is a Tertiary SourceThe following is taken directly from Wikipedia:
Wikipedia can be a great tool for learning information. However, as with all sources, not everything in Wikipedia is accurate, comprehensive, or unbiased.
Many of the general rules of thumb for conducting research apply to Wikipedia, including:• Always be wary of any one single source (in any medium–
web, print, television or radio), or of multiple works that derive from a single source
• Where articles have references to external sources (whether online or not) read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says
• In all academic institutions, Wikipedia, along with most encyclopedias, is unacceptable as a major source for a research paper. Other encyclopedias, such as Britannica, have notable authors working for them and may be cited as a secondary source in most cases. For example, Cornell University has a guide on how to cite encyclopedias.
ReliabilityCredible, accuracy, trustworthy,
consistency A reliable source can be checked and
provides full details about the person responsible and the source of the information eg. A WWI website created by the Canadian government Hi
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ChronologyA timeline of events from the oldest to
the most recent WWI occurred before WWII
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Cause and ConsequenceFor every event or effect an event has
on us there are background causes which help us understand why the event occurred and why it is important
WWI: one of the causes of WWI was competition between countries for more land this led to numerous conflicts between countries Hi
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Moral DimensionImplicit judgements: not expressed
openly but evident in behaviour, thought or action
Explicit judgements: openly stated
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Significance (1)An event is significant when it results
in change such that the event/person/development had deep consequences for many people, over a long period of time
The development of the nuclear bomb influenced the Cold War and gave us electricity generated by nuclear power. Hi
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Significance (2)revealing: the
event/person/development sheds light on enduring or emerging issues (problems) in history (the problem might still exist)
The Holocaust and Residential Schools revealed the consequences of racist government policies. Hi
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Significance (3)resonant or relevant: it was
important at some stage in history within the collective memory of a group or groups.
The 200th –year anniversary of the War of 1812 gave Prime Minister Harper a reason to celebrate Canadian History. Hi
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