What is it like to be a research historian?

Job Description
Research historians must have excellent communication skills. They communicate with other historians, archivists and those requesting the research. Frequently they conduct interviews with field specialists and, in cases of recent history projects, eyewitnesses to events. They must also have excellent written communication skills to prepare reports on findings or write papers with the information gathered and compiled.

A keen sense of analytics is required of a research historian. Prior to accepting information, a research historian must be able to verify its authenticity or disregard it as hearsay. Multiple sources are sometimes needed to verify a single fact, so patience and diligence are valued. It is also beneficial to be able to differentiate between what is or isn't relevant to a specific project.

Researchers must be able to think outside the box. At times when a piece of information is required, it may be elusive and the research historian will need to use a level of creativity to track it down. Researchers may need to locate unexplored archives or identify rarely used resources in the search for information. Those with a strong sense of curiosity may excel in this field.

Some researchers work on a consultant or freelance basis. Others work for the government, schools and private institutions. Museums and historical societies also hire research historians for fact checking and information gathering, as well as verification processes.

Job Duties
For staff research historian positions, the researcher will need to be able to multi-task, often answering questions or consulting on more than one project at a time. Some projects may require travel and the researcher must be able to work on multiple projects while on the road. The ability to prioritize projects is an asset for staff research historians.

Research historians spend much of their time following up on leads and making sure requested information is received in a timely manner so as not to delay a project or deadline. Tracking requests, documenting timelines and checking on information bottlenecks plays a large role in a researcher's day.

Building relationships with sources is a key component of a researcher's duties. A research historian may need to use the same source for more than one project and displaying a pleasant demeanor during interactions will make the next contact easier.

Job Requirements
The majority of research historian positions insist on a master's degree in history as a foundation point. Many colleges and universities in the United States offer such degrees. A specific degree such as Asian history may allow the research historian a few opportunities, but a broad degree gives the prospective research historian more options when pursuing a career. Many positions, however, require a research historian to have a specific informational background or bailiwick. In such cases, having spent years of study and research on the subject may be considered of equal importance to having a specific degree.

The best part about working in historical research is uncovering pieces of information that have been hidden away for any length of time and are not widely known. It's a bit like being an archeologist and digging up an artifact that had been forgotten by the world.

No matter what historical period you are interested in (ancient, medieval, early modern or modern), there is always room for research into subjects that have been forgotten or overlooked by others. And you will feel great when you look through old books or archives and realize that you have found some information that is not generally known about the past and you can offer it to the world to help our general understanding of what came before us.

The most important thing you can do when trying to work in historical research is to remember that there is always more to learn about every subject. If you look at a question from a different angle, you will come up with a new road into historical research. Is there some object you see all the time or some activity you do frequently, but you don't know why it is popular or how it became normal? Most likely there are other people who are wondering the same thing and, as a history researcher, you can help provide the answers. Just look at anything and try to imagine questions beyond what you already know. Take it another step further. For example:

It may be easy to find out who invented the toaster and when it was done. But WHY did it become so popular? What about it made it such a great thing to have in your kitchen? And how many different models of toaster were tried before the inventor or inventors found the one that worked (and sold) best?

Is there a medieval painting that has interested you? It may not be difficult to find out who painted it and when. But WHY did they use a certain type of paint and a particular type of canvas? Is that all there was available to them where they lived? Or was there are an artistic or scientific reason, such as they knew it would last longer than other materials?

History research can turn up a lot of interesting information, especially if you go past the obvious or well-known information and come up with your own new questions that will lead to new answers.