Fundamentals of Doing Research in the Humanities: Bibliographies, Writing Processes, Publishing

Although most seasoned scholars know how to do their basic work and produce well-researched papers or books, each new generation faces the issue once again, figuring out what true research is, how to find the relevant research literature, and then how to produce a solidly investigated and developed publication. At the same time, technology is moving forward rapidly, and all our library systems are undergoing constant changes. In fact, there are ever more available databases or bibliographies that are often ignored or remain unknown particularly to more traditionally oriented scholars. So, it is high time right now to reassess the situation in library science from a pragmatic point of view and to outline in as much detail as possible or necessary what approaches and methods are advisable, how to carry out basic research, and how to move a paper from its draft stage to the level of being publishable. The discussion below is based on decades of my own research, with 134 scholarly books currently published (single-authored monographs, edited volumes, textbooks, and translations), and more than 800 scholarly articles, both in traditional print journals and increasingly in online journals, both in well-established and highly esteemed research fora and in new and emerging venues. This basically unmatched record encourages me to offer the subsequent outline of the fundamental strategies relevant in carrying out research in the Humanities, especially with a focus on literary and cultural history.