12.10 Academic Sources for Historical Context
It is very important that researchers look beyond the research family’s documents to understand the historical context1 of how they lived and why they made the decisions they did. Understanding their proximity to war, economic challenges, natural disasters, booming agriculture, mining operations, ports, and the local economy can help a historian gain understanding that should be shared as part of the story of the research family. Looking into mortality/birth rates, how education functioned, cultural practices, religious beliefs, diet, and other aspects of the everyday lives of people living in the place and at the time the research family lived is crucial for writing engaging and informative reports about genealogical research.
CHICAGO STYLE:
Author followed by the name of the article in quotation marks, then the name of the journal should be listed and italicized, if the volume number is available it is listed in parenthesis with the date, if the article was accessed online there may be an unique identifier or doi then a colon and the url pasted in.2
Rapalje, Stewart. "Seduction as Crime." The Criminal Law Magazine and Reporter 3, (1882), unique identifier:1565434. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Criminal_Law_Magazine_and_Reporter/wbtFAQAAMAAJ?hl=engbpv=1dq=Criminal+Law+Magazineprintsec=frontcover.
EVIDENCE EXPLAINED:
Follow Chicago Style for books and articles found in academic databases.3
Rapalje, Stewart. "Seduction as Crime." The Criminal Law Magazine and Reporter 3, (1882), unique identifier:1565434. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Criminal_Law_Magazine_and_Reporter/wbtFAQAAMAAJ?hl=engbpv=1dq=Criminal+Law+Magazineprintsec=frontcover.
SENSIBLE CITATION:
Follow Chicago Style for books and articles found in academic databases. but instead of including the URL for items accessed digitally, embed the URL in the citation.
Stewart Rapalje, "Seduction as Crime." The Criminal Law Magazine and Reporter 3, (1882) unique identifier:1565434.
Peer-reviewed, academic articles and writing are an excellent source for historical context. Universities and local libraries may provide access to databases of information, like JSTOR,4 Gale,5 and other archives of academic writings. Good researchers work with a librarian to find what is available and then search for information that is applicable to the research family. Choose something interesting because exploring the topic in the research report will make that document thought-provoking and give insight into the era and place where the family lived.