ABSTRACT
This chapter helps to demystify the research process by explaining how historical research fits into a much bigger picture. It presents two ways of seeing history: as a profession with certain norms and standards, and as a conversation or debate. The chapter offers insights into how historians work. The discipline of history has evolved over time, as one generation of practitioners developed certain “accepted” practices and ways of thinking, and the next generations made adjustments to those norms and perhaps added new ones. At base, all historians approach their work from a position of curiosity. The chapter demystifies historical research by providing a bird's-eye view.
