HISTORICAL RESEARCH

INTRODUCTION
Research is the activity undertaken to bring out
something new, to extend the horizon of knowledge
and to contribute some original idea. It is an attempt to
make a diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation
into a subject, in order to discover facts or revise the
known facts or put the facts into theories.
Historical research is digging into the past in order to
re-enact the pas in this entirety, to reconstruct the past
events as fully as they must have happened, to explain
the meaning and significance of those events, to
correct the wrong notions so long prevalent, if any ant
to elaborate, analyze, synthesize and philosophize the
ideas in the light of the historians, scholars and
archeologist. They are devoting their time and energy
to enrich our knowledge about the past history with the
help of their researches. As history is both a science
and an art, the methods to be used in writing history
would be different from those of all other disciplines. As
complete objectivity is impossible to achieve, the aim
should be to reconstruct the past as nearly as it really
happened.

Meaning

Everything written by a historians or a scholar does not

fall in the category of research. Research may be
defined as an activity which aims at bringing to light
something new. It adds to the existing
knowledge though a systematic study or investigation
of a particulars subject.
Normally

research

in

India

is

undertaken

after

completion of post gradation but in some India

university the students are given an option of writing a
thesis in masters degree it is in from of a long essay
duly supported by available sucrose and interpreting
usually students applies critical method in completion
of his work. But serious research work is done by the
student after completion of post graduate degree. A
research work may be undertaken due to various
reasons. Generally students undertook a research work
in order to acquire a degree so that after completion of
the same he may be able to secure a job. Sometimes a
student wants to do research work in order to enhance
his prestige and reputation in some other cases student
tend to do research work because they fail to get a job
after completing their post graduation hence in order
to get scholarship as a researcher they undertaken a
research. It has to purpose, first to get degree and
second to get some stipend to fulfill his needs.

Research activity in social science has received

great encouragement after the establishment of Indian
council of social science research and India council of
Historical research; both these councils financially
support not only the intuition but also the researchers.
Hence the researchers are encouraged to undertake
the research work in order to procure degree as well as
financial help.
Historical research can constitute either or any of the
three important activities given below;
1. Collection of New Data.
2. Fresh interpretation of the data already known and
3. Subordinate of the data to principle.

1. Collection of New Data:The simplest of research in history is the first one in

which a researcher simply adds some new information
some new facts or ideas. His intensive search inquiry
and investigation brings to light something new that
was not known before. Until the nineteenth century
ancient Indian history offered rich scope of dynasties
ermined

unknown

hundreds

of

monarchs

and

ministers and other great personages did not exist in

the memory of man and numerous aspects of main
activity ,whether political institutions or economic
conditions or social status or cultural traits had been
totally forgotten. Even such a luminous as Ashoka was

hardly known before prince deciphered the Brahmi

script. This discover of the past was fascinating venture
hat thrilled the scholars who dived deep into the floor
of the Indian ocean historical past and brought out the
rarest of pearls our history was pushed back by
thousands of years by the spade of Sir John Marshall
and a host of their sincere scholars. In short the first
category of research involves a keen perception of what
is wanting, what is known and what remains to be
known and then bringing out to light what had
remained unknown.

2.Fresh interpretation of the data

already known
The second type of research is title more difficult, it
involves

interpretation,

elaboration,

explanation,

evolution and critical examination of known facts. Here

the physical search for new data is not as important as
an intensive mental activity to subject known data to a
very incisive security. So that a different version
altogether is presented. History being subjective in its
nature

is

susceptible

to

various

interpretations

depending on whom, when and where it was written.

The same time to be our friend and at another time to
be

our

rival,

and

hence

the

contract

and

the

circumstances determine the character of history in the

absence of these factors there would not have been
any need for rewriting history. Those scholars who
challenge the views of the earlier historians and offer
their own explanations in the matter belong to the
second category. Vincent smith wrote his oxford History
of the India and Akbar the Great Mughal, But what he
wrote is not the last word on the subject on the
contrary much of the what he wrote deserves to be
thoroughly revised not so much from the point of
viewing

the

events

from

different

perspective

altogether much of our foreign languages from foreign

viewpoint to serve foreign interest. Anyone who reads
either Mills History of India or Wills History of Mysore
will surely get a much distorted picture of our history it
is

the

job

of

the

researcher

to

remove

such

misconceptions and they do it through interpretive

history.

3. Subordinate of the data to

principle.
The third category of research is the most difficult one
which would elevate a scholar to the dignity of a metahistorian. Hence philosophy is involves whereby the
scholar presses all the information he possesses to
yield a certain historical juice in the form of a doctrine

or law or principle. He synthesis all his knowledge to

come out

with a theory

in

order to

explain

fundamental principle, say causality of phenomenon.

He analyses the facts only with the intention of
subordinating them to a general law, why and how
historical forces behave in a particular manner. Years of
analysis would be required to come up to the level of
throwing up a theory and subordinating if through
irrefutable logic. Either through the deductive or
inductive method he comes out with a bold genera
libation and earns the title of a meta-historian or a
philosopher of History. A integer, Marx, Croce, comet,
Toynbee or Spengler would not be lost either in hunting
a new factor in explaining a known fact in a different
way but he would be immersed in a world of his own in
order to pack limitless knowledge in simple phrases
such as idealism in History, Materialism in History,
Spritatelism in History, Transcendentalism in history ,
Personality in History, Challenge and response in
History and so on. Each one of these phrases is a
Pandoras Box and there is no end to its complexity or
profundity. To understand the full meaning of challenge
and response, one has study all the twelve volume of
Toynbee perhaps none had greater impact on the
modern world than that Austrian Jew, Karl Marx, whose
materialistic interpretation of history was destined to

change the very picture of this earth. Likewise , Vico,

Hegel, Comet, Croce, Spengler and a host of others
have come out with their own therapies which are help
the product of original research. They may be very
controversial but none can deny either their durability
or profundity.

Types of Research
(A)Applied Research
In this type of research the researcher seek to save an
immediate and practical problems faced by the society
an institution or an organization research to identify
socio, economic & political trend which may affect a
particular institution or a state can be called applied
research. The population survey on order to find out
B.P.L

(Below

Poverty

Line)

families,

archeological

investigation at Ajodhya Life on order to seek a solution

to Barbie Mailed dispute are the examples of applied
research. Thus the main purpose of applied research is
to discover and provide solution to some practical
problem being faced by the society.
(b)Fundamental
Fundamental or basic research adds to the existing
body of knowledge and does not necessarily provided
solution to practical problem usage. It concern mainly
both generation and formulation of a theory. Research

relating to natural phenomena line what of physics,

mathematics, Biology and other natural science can be
categories

as

fundamental

research

the

type

of

research pares way for more intensive research. For

example

research

on

atomic

reaction

may

be

fundamental research but dividing theories for we if

atomic energy may be formed as applied research
moreover, research studies relating to human behavior
curried on with a view to make generalization on the
issue of human behavior In termed as fundamental
research.
(c)Descriptive Research
Describes, interprets and clarifies its comes the present
times. This type of research in often done in survey
method

which

is

done

by

observation

or

an

observational instruments developmental research is a

common type of descriptive research which involves
the study of changes in behavior over a period of time.
The research pertaining to costumer preference etc
comes under this category. The type of research
examine

the

existing

variable

over

which

the

investigator has no control he can provided information

regarding the state of effect as it has happens or has
been happening.
(d)Analytical Research

In this type of research the researcher used all the

available

fact

or

information,

analyses

of

and

researchers to a conclusion after a critical emulation

the materials for example the dates relating to the
development. Index before and after liberalization is
analyzed to draw a conclusion in the present scenario
whether the trend should be.
(e)Correlative Researched:The purpose of the researched into find relationship
between 2 or more variables so as to better understand
its conditions and events that are encounter and to
product future condition or event.
(f)Experimental Research
In experimental research at least one indecent variable
called

the

experimental

variable

in

deliberately

manipulated or varied by the researcher. An element or

a character is studied by the researcher.
(g)Qualitative Research
Qualitative research involved study in human behavior
and

other

phenomena

relating

social

science

motivation his human being desires its studied by the

researcher through interviews method. The researcher
also comes project oriented techniques to arrive at
conclusion-attitude

of

the

people

opinions

on

particular theme also come under qualitative research.

Though such research we can analyze human behavior
in a particular setting.
(h)Conceptual Research
The researcher tends to focus on abstract ideas or
tedious. It is generally used by the philosopher and
thinkers to formulate new concept or eecenterpert the
existing ones. Helga, Marx, Spengler, Gandhi may come
under this categories on their concepts like socialism,
rationalism,

humanism

and

non-violence

got

new

relevance.
(i) Imperial research
Imperial research relies on experience and observation
and may not follow established principles of research
methods. If in a data based research where we can
arrive at conclusion by observation or experimentation
evidence guttered through experiment or imperial
studies can greatly help in supplying the research
hypothesis.

TYPES

OF

RESEARCH
1. Historical events research

HISTORICAL

Examine particular events or process that occurred

over a short of time.
Methodological Problem
- Meaning may have changed
- Information may not be complete
2. Historical Process research
Focus on how and why a series of events unfolded
over a period of time.
Methodological Problem
- May place too much emphasis on the actions
are fusion of particular action.
- Not always clear which example represents
general pattern.
- Definition may change over time.
- Relies on long term records to achieves.
3. Cross-Sectional Comparative Research
Comparing two or more social setting or groups
(usually centuries) at one particular point of time.
Methodogiacal Problem
- Comparability of measure across centuries.
4. Comparative Historical research
- Combines historical process research and crosssectional comparative research.

- To understand casual process at work within

particular groups and to identify general historical
patterns across groups.
* Mythological Problem
-History has not been recorded securely or relation.
- Difficult to know how to deal with expiation.
-Difficult to include that one factor is what causes
sometime.
- Groups being unpaired may not be independent.

REFERENCES
K.L.Khurana
B.Shekh Ali
Internet

Concept of Method & Methodology

History its Theory Method
www.wikipedia.com

CONCLUSION
To sum up we may say that the meaning of
research is vast & there many type of researches which
are important for a researcher, By historical research
we can know history more properly.