Know of any *Free* Research Databases that I missed in the video? Leave them in the comment below!🙏🏻❤ Edit: I didn't realize how much JSTOR offers for free now (I've always categorized it as a paywalled experience) but it is one of the best places for quality academic journals and scholarly secondary sources: www.jstor.org/ -- thanks to everyone who brought that to my attention!! 🎉
The Victoria & Albert Museum, which has a LOT of fashion and textile pieces in their collection, has a great, free to use online archive of their collection. It's good for getting a look at extant pieces. Project Gutenburg also has a ton of public domain books, etc. you can download for free. They've really upped their game in terms of what's available from different time periods. P.S. I have problem looking at your face -- you're gorgeous! Also, I lipread.
State run libraries in PA are all connected and, with your library card, allow access to the POWER Access library: a shared card catalogue for inter library loans as well as a database of newspaper and magazine articles on various topics. Completely free (for PA residents only 😕), and it helped me with a ton of research when I was in school!
While not primarily fashion history, Project Gutenberg is a great resource for free ebooks, including lots of classic literature. Also, libraries are a great resource! If you’re affiliated with a university, you’ll have your pick of databases through your university library, but even if you’re not, many public libraries have inter library loan systems where you can borrow a book or article from another library that has that book/article. My university in Michigan was a part of Michigan’s inter library loan system, so a lot of my friends were able to get books from other public and university libraries for their research. Depending on what’s available to you, you can even request a first edition or other specific edition of the book you’re looking for.
That's basically what SCA costumers say in regard to medieval clothing. I've heard so many iterations of, "Please ignore the Victorians," and "No, that's a Victorian fashion plate! Look at this manuscript instead," but that quote is really the best I've encountered. (Not that I'm not grateful to the Victorians for pioneering Medieval study in the first place... ;))
@@gwirithil1 Thank you! --I am curious after reflection: is the second rule of history research to remember that, if clerics and other buddies are condemning a fashion, it usually means that people were doing the thing they keep complaining about?
One little-known fact about academic journals in general: the amount of money an author gets from a publisher when someone pays for access to their paper is often ZERO - and those authors would much rather you be able to read the work that they put so much time & effort into than not. So, if you're able to email an author whose paper is trapped behind a journal's paywall and ask, they will usually be very happy to *send you their paper for free* (as long as you cite them/don't plagiarize/don't ask them to do your research for you/etc).
Additionally: for a lot of papers that are behind paywalls, the supplementary materials (any additional methods, results, tables, datasheets, etc.) often NOT behind the paywall and can be downloaded. And many databases that appear to be behind paywalls are really behind "permission" walls instead -- you can look at it for free if you ask permission and convince them that you're using it for legitimate research purposes.This usually means that you should have an explanation of the project you're doing what information you need and why.
100% agree. My mum is a chemist and lots of her papers are behind paywalls. She gets requests for copies of her work all the time and she (and her colleagues) are always happy to share
Primary source: Abby was heard telling a joke about how much laudanum a dress historian in the 1850s took. Secondary source: Laudanum was common enough in the past that early 21st dress historian Abby joked about previous generations of dress historians taking it. Tertiary source: At one time laudanum was so widely used by dress historians, that Abby joked about it in the 21st century. Quaternary source: Laudanum was commonly used by 21st century dress historians.
I work at a museum and we had one guy tell us something in our exhibit was wrong and to PLEASE SEE HIS BOOK FOR THE CORRECTION. One of his books had already been blacklisted in our library for having a number of errors. Once you get into a certain industry deep enough, you start learning who can and can’t be trusted.
Important thing about primary sources: they’re the most effective *in aggregate*. Don’t rely on just one primary source (unless you’re specifically recreating the piece from that single source) find a lot and map the similarities. There’s always a few weirdos in every time period that can throw you off, but the odds of picking five of those weirdos by chance is much smaller.
Hi, Nerdy McNerd-Nerd here! This was delightful. Can I add one thing? Along with questioning the interpretation of the the information in your sources - question bias as well. Is the article in a primary source newspaper about new women's fashion written by a man with a grudge? Or by a knowledgeable woman trying to sell something? Those things color the way information is presented and interpreted, and your own biases can color the way you understand it as well.
Oh yes bias from original sources is very important remember the minister in Abby's boob video complaining he couldn't perv down ladies corsets when the fashion changed!
YES! I used to run research sessions for undergrads, and how to evaluate bias and trustworthiness of the source material is always something I would nail into them! Ah, this whole thread is making my historian heart sing!
I love this point. My high school librarian made a very good point about this, specifically about news articles and the desire to make something shocking more than accurate in a story she told us, which was basically: Beginning of the AIDS crisis, Journalist "Is AIDS spread through the air?", Doctor "We are unsure how it is spread at this time but it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that it is airbourne.", News Headline "AIDS MAY BE SPREAD THROUGH THE AIR!!!!", *general panic ensues*
Thank you! I was just about to say this! As a Sociology major, I am constantly looking at the world thru a bias lens, so to speak. ALL people have a bias no matter how hard they try to NOT have one too! And other times, it’s just plain obvious like in the case of historical information on periods and the female anatomy that was written about solely by men!
As a grad student studying neuroscience, the lack of resources, references, and citations from some people in their field (regardless of the field!) drives me up the wall. I am not interested in dress history beyond curiousity and your shenanigans, Abby, but you present information in a way that is accessible. From one nerd (albeit in a different field) to another, thank you!
@J Island I guess I should amend my comment from "most" to some. Otherwise I'm implying that scientists aren't being accurate. I generally find that some statements are made in some of the literature I'm reading that doesn't seem to be supported by anything other than the author's own (previous) work. Or, sometimes I find some assumptions are made but not clearly defined. Whatout references or citations to show how these assumptions can be accounted for, some conclusions drawn read like guess work. One of the major problems with literature/citations in my field is the assumptions. For example, I'll read an article, which will cite a previous work from the same author. Usually, I'm trying to figure out how they did an experiment (reagents, time, concentration, etc). I'll go to the citation that supposedly describes the experiment, only for it to further cite another paper. Ok, fine, I'll go check this paper. We're now in the 1960-70s (from the first paper I was actually reading, from 2018). The cited work describes the experiment as "performed as usual." At this point, I now have to start researching how this experiment might have been done back in the 60s/70s, but I can't know for sure what exact conditions were performed for the paper I was originally reading. I have no way of recreating or borrowing aspects of their experiment for my own research.
Part of your challenge is, perhaps, caused by the fact that “neuroscience” is a discipline that only emerged in the last decade or so, when university curriculum planners decided to update the age-old “psych” major by adding some natural science coursework. As a new-ish field of study, there is not a well established body of peer reviewed literature to draw upon for research.
Also a grad student from the STEM field here, and something of notice is that, sometimes, the results and data acquired from the experiment are so uncompatible with the conclusion that you even wonder how the editor okayed it. So I don't even trust the title and the abstract/conclusions, I HAVE to take a good look at the materials/methods.
I'm a librarian and I'd never heard of Elephind. I occasionally get asked for historical paper research, so I'm bookmarking this one and sending it to my colleagues! Excellent video! :)
Tip - if you need a book, and it’s $800 secondhand, ( as many historical costume books are) university libraries often have it AND - 😃 - you can borrow it on inter library loan. I’ve used this more for how-do-I-make-it books, but it how I finally got a look at the Patterns Of Fashion books. Even the most piddlin’ little libraries can tap into the stacks of big university research libraries. Ask your local branch librarian.
As a public librarian at a small rural library, I second this! Even our tiny library has a few interesting books on Victorian costuming, and ILLs are something we do all the time. Also check what digital resources your library offers, because you can often find some interesting stuff on there!
Gosh, this is great! I'm still hoarding paper copies from workshops in the early '90s and printouts from websites from the 2000s because information around fashion history and how to construct it used to be so hard to find. If you're lucky you might meet someone who was willing to share but here is Abby enabling us to find this information (and taking a chunk out of gatekeeping while she is at it!) Thanks for another great video!
I don't know if you've already done this but if you can I highly recommend uploading the papers you have to archive.org so all of us can use the invaluable & scarce resources you might've collected!
Thank you for the sources. Two other sources I use for period books is Project Gutenburg and the Antique Pattern Library. Both are websites where people download books they have in the public commons.
It focuses more on fiber arts, but Antique Pattern Library has a ton of scans of old pattern books for just about every textile/fiber craft there is! A lot from the 1890s thru 1910s, but I've seen some as old as 1840 and as new as 1940s.
Bahahaha LOVED the laudanum reference. Funny because it's true! I was reading a primary herbal remedy source from a 19th century doctor, and almost EVERY remedy ended with, "Greater efficacy is achieved by the addition of laudanum." Also, Subie doing "acrobat yoga" with you is ADORABLE! :-)
Some university libraries will offer borrower's cards for an annual fee - not totally free, but def cheaper than trying to access databases on your own. In addition, even if your local library is small or poorly resourced, it might be part of a consortium that has access to online databases. Calling or emailing libraries in your area might turn up more than you expect :)
One thing I found looking at primary sources is that you do have to be aware of the author and who they are in relation to the topic. A while ago I was researching 1790s to 1820s fashion in Spain. The majority of easily accessible primaries that I found in English on google books or archives that included descriptions of local or folk dress were travel books written by American men for a grand tour type of audience. So even though they were from the time period, they would use terms that were either mistranslated or misspelled or just flat out wrong and their descriptions/illustrations would make me scratch my head trying to figure out what the heck they were talking about. I was able to use the books as a starting point but then had to go delving down lots of rabbit holes to find the proper terminology and methods of production for some garments by tracking down and cross referencing with some Spanish sources. I suspect anyone trying to research historical or folk costumes outside the more common English or French sphere of influence would encounter similar problems. If you don't speak the language of the region you are researching it can be challenging to figure out the local, period-correct terms for regional garments. And I'm here for all the B roll doggie footage😻
I am just about to start an independent study MA class on the history of the male gaze in women's clothing so,,,,, thank you so much for making my life 10x easier,,,,,,
As a retired English teacher, I am now going to share this video with my friends who are currently teaching. The art of research intersecting with the science of the research happens here! It is soul-grinding to examine papers that are just the same regurgitation of the same easily found, boring, sources. (As an English teacher, it is about the process more than the information. However, it is nice to meet interesting in the sea of sameness! ) Thank you for being a passionate flaming beacon of research greatness.
"You shouldn't cite a youtube video in an academic paper" _the entire internet research side of folkloristics laughs nervously_ Jokes aside, in most cases youtube is indeed not something you want to cite unless your research is about youtube phenomena. Talking of which, I am so tempted to write a paper on costube haha. Already wrote one in booktube earlier in my studies so it'd make sense. Also I love how you explain humanities research sources in this video :) Thanks for the dresshistory research tips!
@@SparkleFeyed Haha I have already seen that! I would write my paper from different angle (focusing on vernacularity, maybe?) than she does her videod but I love her work!
@@m.maclellan7147 Haha, time management first! I don't do videos myself (I am horribly camera shy, but maybe one day) but folklore has a lot of cool stuff to learn :)
@@gildedgitta in ye Olde Days, I bought some used Foxfire books.....LOVED THEM ! I am a big fan of stories that also teach you a usable skill ! Sometimes the power goes out & you'll be the only one who knows how to DO things.....and may have some interesting stories to tell as you do ! ;)
Old Bailey is excellent. I was having a wander through, looking at information on the First Fleet. It was amazing to see how many people were transported to Australia for stealing articles of clothing!
If looking at Australian history make sure you check out the history of Norfolk Island as well. It was a penal colony for the 'really' bad people. My mum visited Norfolk about 20 odd years ago and told me the story of someone who had been sent there for stealing a handkerchief.
It appears that an ancestor of mine - was stolen from multiple times: John Rysdale a hosier, walking in (no, really) Drury-Lane - had his handkerchief stolen. Mr. George Webb was transported (at age 20) for 14 years. A few years later he's a silk-stockmaker and his brother in law who was let go the day prior, a Mr. Charles Tyrrell, breaks into the warehouse and steals a bunch of things. Transported 10 years.
Will be back to take notes... I have been doing family history/research for years now. But will be researching dress history to help with family members I have found, as far back as 1685. There are no photos or physical descriptions of them but this will help picture them as people instead of names and dates on paper.
For Australians, Trove is a great source for recent history. Bit more information for at home ancient historians: We don't have primary/secondary sources. We have Modern sources and Contemporary sources. Contemporary are split into written and physical, and some societies don't have a written contemporary sources which can be translated (*cough cough* 'Minoans' *cough cough*).
Glad I'm not the only Australian interested in fashion history desperately lamenting the amount of historical sources other countries have, lol. Not going to lie, I've been considering a massive research project to consolidate information and sources on Australia's 18th and 19th century colonial fashion because I'm sick of it being all over the place and hard to find. Are the any that you recommend in particular?
@@AssignedCryptid Can't say I do, I only know the database from year 8 history when we did stuff with WW2. I know the National Trust in Victoria has some good pieces (www.nationaltrust.org.au/collections/costume-collection/). All the best with your research though.
I love Trove, and found the consolidated collection of the Australian Women's Weekly a good resource, not only for fashion, patterns and pictures, but the suggestions of what patterns and materials were recommended for different age groups and occasions.
Terminology is really difficult when you're in non english speaking countries. I tried buying corset materials and discovered that from everything I needed only bias tape has a name in hebrew
I think it's mainly that our ancestors dressed so differently from the westerners up until the last century. Don't take my words for granted as my only source is my mother, but due to factors like climate (you _know_ the inescapable _heat)_ availability of resources & a strong leaning towards conservative clothes, the way Middle-Eastern people dressed, & the tools & terms they used when making the dress, is drastically different from the form-fitting, revealing, & warmly layered clothes of the west. Also the sad fact that paople hear are generally way too occupied with putting politics into everything to care about preserving any sort of local history, let alone dress history, so even if the names existed, there's just no easy way for people to learn them
I tried researching traditional folk costumes from other countries and the websites weren’t in English, so I used the automatic website translator on google and so much stuff made no sense
All of this was super helpful, and I so so so appreciate your ask to not just use people to answer your assignments for class! I've gotten that A LOT and it's just exhausting. I also wanna say thank you for telling folks not to take this info as a reason to go completely trash other people's videos or work. I've seen that happen time and again in this community and it's never just a "hey, that's interesting because I found this one resource that says something different than your research" it's flat out "you're stupid and you don't know what you're talking about." Like... c'mon people. We don't need to be like this.
I loved doing my own research! I loved getting sidetracked because I saw an interesting book in the stacks as I was going by. I loved finding the odd little stories in newspapers as I was scanning for my keywords. No, none of it was helpful in the least, but it was really fun!
Another part of using secondary sources is learning about the inherent biases of the person who authored the secondary resource. You might have what looks like a fantastic secondary source, with footnotes and cited primary sources, only to learn later that the author either really loves or really despises something about the topic, and their cited research has been carefully picked with the goal of convincing other people to accept that bias as fact.
Non-standardized spelling in historical primary sources, Yay! I used to be a history teacher and I would tell students to put in multiple spellings in searches.
I love history and all that goes into it. While I loved the fur-baby pics, my first thought was, 'How could I be sick of watching someone talking about researching history?'
Source quality is sooooooo important, as I always tell my students! Interestingly, in science we use in text citations rather than footnotes, footnotes are rare in scientific papers.
Yes, I was thinking this must be field specific. In my field, footnotes/endnotes are for asides/supplementary comments, so a lack of footnotes/endnotes would not be an indication of a lack of rigour. What matters is that there's a list of works cited and references to those works in the correct places in the body of the text.
Yay research tips!! (Definitely a Nerdy McNerd-Nerd) Cute puppy pics!! ...Now Im curious as to what you found and how your opinion on witch hats has changed! ...Maybe a pt 2 video? XD
Not a dress historian, just a gal who nerds hard for the Humanities (went through an MFA in Creative Writing program, and got everything but the legal piece of paper that proves it). But I do have two things to say: 1) Footnotes are where all the cool kids hang out, and 2) Also, check the bibliography or Works Cited. If the author your reading keeps citing *themselves* -- Drop that source and Run.
Also, if you find a journal article you want to read but it's behind a paywall, email the main author requesting a copy, frequently they'll just send you a copy
Not a dress history resource but a resource for plants and other cool old books the BHL. Which is the Biodiversity Heritage Library it is a completely free digitized library.
since youtube seems to have eaten my original comment: here we go again! If you're in a situation where you've read a word in a primary source but struggling with determining what it means, then I would definetly recommend the Oxford English Dictionary. It isn't free to use BUT many public libraries have subscriptions to it so you may have local access, wherever you are (I'd def use this after you've tried other sources though). What is most useful about it, is that it gives alternative spellings, so it would catch Abby's tailor/taylor example in the video, and also gives different definitions for the word, including historical ones. So for example, a search there of 'corset' has 4 definitions. Each definition then has a listing of dated uses from different sources, so the second definition of Corset is the one that most people here would give, and I think the first time that was used in written literature (and that has survived to us today) is from 1795, according to OED, followed by a patent in 1796. OED will then give a few examples, followed by the last time it was used, so you get a date range for the use of the word by definition. As I'm sure you can imagine, that's really useful, esp for historians. I'd also recommend not ignoring twitter. historians on twitter pay attention to the hashtag #twitterstorians and it is quite common amongst working historians when they're having difficulty in reading a word in a *£$%*! badly written hand (ask me how often I've experienced this) to turn to twitter for help. Dos and don'ts: do transcribe as much as you can, put a good picture in, if you can put two in, do - one close up of the troublesome word, one of the word in context. Do put your own transcription in the tweet itself, and give info on the source, e.g. it's a will (or whatever). Don'ts - don't expect full transcriptions of a whole document. that's just cheeky and will get you ignored pretty fast. but it's a great way to make connections online, and as I said, use the #twitterstorians hashtag. Many historians work on twitter, so if a historian you read has published recently, its worth checking if they have a twitter handle and if your !$£@&*%" word is period/subject specific to them, do @ them. If you're up for reading UK doctoral theses then many of them are available online from the British Library - Ethos is the database in question (google Ethos), which has a listing of just about every UK-based PhD thesis written (the listings include abstracts so you can get a good feel for what the thesis is about). That doesn't mean that every single one is available to download for free via Ethos (Oxbridge in particular don't allow it) but many are, and even where they're not free, sometimes it's cost effective to download esp if you're across the ocean. Cambridge wasn't too expensive the last time I had to do it, for example. Worth a look. Lastly, check British History Online - google will find it (I think youtube ate my last comment cos of links so not including them). It's a free to use website with lots of primary sources on it, run by the Institute of Historical Research. IHR provide a lot of data, including the BBIH - the bibliography of British and Irish History which is a FANTASTIC database of every book/article/whatever published on British or Irish history since the year dot... I think it goes back to Caesar. :D It isn't free to use but like the Oxford English Dictionary, many public libraries have subscriptions: its worth checking if yours has. This is useful because you can put a subject search in and get a list back of books/articles/etc. published on it, and you can then export that list to something like excel for you to take home and see what you can trace via other sources like google books. To anyone stepping into the world of historical research: good luck, its a wonderful field and one I truly love!!!
@@valeriem8480 you're welcome! Hope it's useful! There's another comment i wrote further down with a link to a page that has a lot of free resources listed, it was set up IN March 2020 after lockdown prevented many people from working in archives. I think that's worth checking out too!
Digitized newspapers are fabulous if you’re writing a historical novel. BTW. You can look up a specific date in a major town and find out what the weather is like - what people are talking about: What’s the latest scandal. Etc. etc.
Also useful for family genealogy. I discovered from a weather history site that there was a record heat wave the summer my grandmother was pregnant with my mom. When I told my mom, she said that her mother had complained about the heat of that summer, but Mom always thought it was just pregnancy-brain perspective. Now we know there really was something to complain about--and I can include that in my family history. Being able to include then-current fashion, technology, politics, etc in family histories makes for wonderful context.
This makes me so happy!! In April I finished my (high school) final thesis on fashion history. I live in the Netherlands and Dutch museums aren't particularly invested in fashion history. But the Rijksmuseum has a sort of Pinterest like part of their website, where you can search through their digital archive and save items to a board. You can share these with other people on the website, which means that there are a ton of people who have made these "collections" on one particular topic that you are free to browse through. It's called rijksstudio. They have a very extensive digital archive, with detailed descriptions for each item. Descriptions of extant garments can be a bit lacking and a lot of extant garments (though listed) don't include pictures. But they have a ton of fashion plates and 19-th century photographs on there. Which you can sort by date. I've tried both the Met's and V&A's digital archive and I honestly think the Rijksmuseum's is the easiest to navigate. So whether you're researching fashion history, or just art history in general I heavily recommend it. (also the textile museum in Tilburg has a library with tons of books on textiles and a few on fashion history, which you can access if you get to visit the museum)
Thank you for these! I was wondering how to find reputable resources for research. And fyi- yep- newspapers used to have a morning edition and an evening edition. Morning editions were typically localish news and evening editions were more global/national news.
Thank you, Abby, for posting what is essentially a superb Intro to Historical Research lecture. You made the dry, eye-crossing, but oh so important differentiation of sources WAY more entertaining than I ever could.
These are excellent tips. It's basically what historians do. I learned this when I took History as a major in undergrad and when I got my history master's degree. It takes a lot of work but is also enjoyable when you find some amazing stuff but yeah--research--question--definitely look at the footnotes/endnotes, etc :)
I have not yet been able to begin gradually purchasing the books I need. For decades I have been gradually buying things I need for my sewing and for setting up my Sewing & Crafts Room. Beyond this so very much more I need to learn. There are times I feel like a sponge soaking it all in and holding it all very dear to my heart.
This whole VIDEO is an amazing resource! I'm an big opera history nerd, and as you can imagine, some of the research involved in opera history is hard to find - particularly if you're looking up a person who wasn't a straight white male global superstar. I haven't checked some of these resources before, and the next time I do a deep dive into an opera research project, I'll look through these!
As someone who has always loved vintage fashion but only really got into costubers and making the switch in my own wardrobe in 2020 this video is EXTREMELY helpful. Thank you so much!!!
I think that's just academic arbitrariness, the unwillingness to acknowledge plebian-made sources as secondary because only the approval of old power structures "matters". That's why newspaper reporting gets to be a primary source when it's so often wall to wall lies. Ever read a newspaper article about something you're an expert in? If the argument is anyone can make a UA-cam video, I'd counter with anyone can write a book. A video that cites its sources goes into the exact same category to me as anything else that cites sources. If you've ever worked in a position that produces those secondary sources (or even many of the primary ones in the case of science) you'd know exactly how arbitrary the process is, and the lack of meaningful oversight to it. If things the smallfolk make independently can be as legitimate as the ivory tower approved ones, that would break their monopoly on what gets considered true.
Depending on the reference style you're using, you can use some UA-cam videos as sources, but you still have to evaluate whether the video/channel is trustworthy - for instance, a recording of Soviet News with translations reporting on Chernobyl as it happened, is a good primary resource. But a reaction video to the same source material probably isn't a good source.
@@tarbucktransom - It all depends on who wrote the words/ filmed the video/ what they knew/ and what they put into it. That is why even Wikipedia has lists of reliable sources vs unreliable sources. Examples: "Washington Post" vs "The Daily Mail" and an animal nutritionist trained at Cornell's veterinary college vs a yahoo down the street.
dude you have NO idea how helpful this is. I know I'm not a legitimate fashion historian or anything, but I just LOVE finding reliable sources, even if it's just for a picture on a Pinterest board(yes, I'm very strict on my dress history boards lmao). You're a savior Abby!!
Abby, as a recent doctoral graduate, this is a really great resource video in itself! Very clear and thorough. Loving your passion for research and sharing it with others.😊
I wish you made this video before I uploaded my video on the history of mending! 😝 That being said I had already picked up some of your recommendations and where to find information for free from your previous videos which helped immensely so in the end I found some pretty good sources. If I ever will make a fashion history video again I know where else to look now. 😉
For the general public to get access to the more exclusive databases (i.e. expensive ones you're only going to find at a university) lots of Universities and colleges allow the public to get a community member library card. The level of access to collections and databases will vary, but it's a great resource to look into! Also check with your state library and/or state historical society for access to resources, both online and physical. My librarian/historical interpreter heart is bursting with joy right now, thank you for making this video!
Great, that you are emphasizing questioning everything. Many people seem to have forgotten, this is, what lets research progress, and not only in the field of history, but on any subject.
Thank you so much!!!!! I want to get into historical dressmaking but the knowledge that there is soooo so so much I don't know is overwhelming. Not knowing where to start or how to look trips me up every time.
Thank you so much for this. My daughter is starting to write papers in school (grade 6) and she’s been learning about footnotes and citing sources. I’m going to show her this.
I'm a poli sci undergrad and I am in the middle of doing the biggest research paper I've ever had to write and this actually answered a lot of questions I've had about my own methods. I really appreciate this!
Wait wait wait, other people don't have the whole "sources talk" in secondary school? …but why? We had it in like 10th grade at least, but I think even before that.
I studied languages/translation at uni in France, moved to the UK for the third year of my BA and finished my studies there, and only learned about sources, references and citations then 😂 guess you were lucky!
@@ClaraCB5 ...wait so you weren't required to write a coursework at the end of each semester? bc in russia you are, and citations are necessary. in fact, even my high school had that system
I have reached out to a business once, although it was for a theatre production course and I needed some quotes for rental costs of historical costumes for budgeting. The person was very kind and I then shared the info with classmates and my prof. Another note. Now that I am a teacher, I feel like I can see myself using this video for teaching about the types of research and why citations are important. You have explained it in a clear way that is also very welcoming and engaging.
As a librarian, I want to thank you so much for giving people this amazing tutorial on research. These tools apply to a lot of different types of research, and you really hit the nail on the head. It's so wonderful that you're using your platform to teach good information literacy!
This Information Literacy Librarian and Archivist is OBSESSED - thank you for making this video, and thank you for including some awesome open access resources!! I'm DEFINITELY going to tell my colleagues about Elephind - newspapers are one of those things that everyone wants, but are in too many different locations for anyone to feel comfortable with.
Thanks Abby! I am excited to use some of these sources. Also another great primary source is patents. I know the US Patent office has many of them online.
This is very helpful. I do American civil war reenacting and we are a Northern unit. Of course I have my black nurse uniform but what would a Northern lady ware everyday? Around camp? To a ball? I know the silhouette but what patterns would the fabric have? I wad told plad was in style but turns out that's more 50's than 60s. I really want to see fashion plates. Also I received bought an old ladies jacket, I think its late 1800s but honestly idk, it's kind of ambiguous.
Was Project Gutenberg mentioned? Thank you for another great video. Would be interested in your views on where material objects fit in the primary/secondary source - had a friend (literary scholar) argue that archaeological artifacts (I’m lit., arch, and ecology scholar) may be primary sources in themselves but any information gathered from them were secondary sources at best. Was an interesting discussion between two medievalists. In a similar vein would be very interested in any discussions/videos that discuss some of the processes for identifying terminology when all of the initial information is solely a physical object - lets say a garment in this instant.
As one academic (or rather academically trained) to another, thank you, thank you! Though, I may have to disagree slightly on older secondary sources (sans footnotes) as they good in my opinion for seeing where certain ideas came from or how those ideas have changed over time.
If you are studying the changing ideas over time, then people expressing their ideas or interpretations over time are going to be primary sources from that perspective. It just depends on what you are using the source for.
Such an amazing video! A couple tips from your local MLIS student. A lot of libraries/universities will offer research classes that you can attend or have tutorials on their website. These are great because you learn Boolean search terms, how to navigate advanced searches, keyword vs subject search, ect. Databases with a lot of resources are great but can be overwhelming so knowing how to navigate them really helps. Also alongside library resources don’t be afraid to ask the reference librarian for help with research, they’ll also help you navigate this stuff and a lot of ref services are offered virtually these days too! Also look into seeing if your local community college is a part of your library system. A lot of states require community colleges to also be open to the public because they are funded by local tax money. This is awesome because it can give you access to academic sources and databases. One last tip in terms of terminology. Look to see what subject terms are assigned to the resources. A lot of databases will use a controlled vocabulary to help with searching and so terms are assigned to resources (this system isn’t always perfect but it helps!). Clicking on the hyperlinked term in the resource’s description should bring up other sources that are assigned that term. For example “tailor” might be assigned to a resource even though it is spelled “taylor” in the source material. Meaning that even though the spelling is “taylor” searching “tailor” should bring it up. Like I said this system isn’t perfect so you still have to play around with your search terms but it can revel some new sources and can help you learn the terminology while you search!
At the beginning of the year, my 4th year University cohort got a lecture exactly like this and were still being introduced to new research methods! Thank you so much for taking the time to educate people who don’t have access to academic databases about how to effectively find and utilise sources.
The dogs' pics *chef's kiss* and for the databases, for french speaking people, there's Gallica, the online database of the french national library, and there are some treasures on there !
Someone once suggested I start a private discord to post links with notes and it's the best tip I got. I have different channels for different topics (or time periods) and it's searchable and things don't get lost in my bookmarks forever.
Thank you, Abby, as a nerd I'm very excited! Especially with that Bunka Gakuen Library Digital Archive. I've always felt frustrated when study about historical clothing of the east, since there has so much more database for European or American dress history. Plus we have less photographic data and no realistic painting to show the details, and the real peaces are in the museum far away in China, Korea, or Japan. Furthermore, we have very few authentic patterns for traditional clothing, which is pretty sad:(
I agree. I LOVE learning about different cultures and the East is NOT well represented in the dominant U S.A. culture. So much culture can be learned through dress history, which thanks to Covid, I have become fascinated with !
@@m.maclellan7147 I know! I’d love to figure out what kind of life they had in the past, especially my ancestors, who probably didn’t have much privilege in their lives. Unfortunately It is really hard to research about poor people’s culture in the East, ‘cuz they were rarely been mentioned, so most of the historical dramas are focused on the rich people.
Thank you so much for this video! I've never been good at school, as I have ADHD, so I basically did the bare minimum in my academic classes. But I've always been interested in history, especially architectural, woodworking, and dress. In the past couple years I've been wanting to dive more into my historical special interests, but I had no clue how to learn about such niche topics, especially woodworking :b I recently refinished a pair of dressers for my boss that, with my amateur research skills, dated to the late 1920's. Using your suggestions I hope to be able to get better at sourcing info than just figuring out when certain tools/teqniques were invented then googling old furniture catalogs to narrow down the age based on similar styles XD
If you have attended a University, you were given a student ID card. That has a library access number on it. I finished my education in 2009 and I can still check out and access databases. The V&A museum also has an incredible collection of fabric prints! They have the physical books of samples, But I wonder if you can access that through the internet.
@@lucie4185 I was 40 when I went back to complete my degree. I was 52 when I finally graduated with an MD PHD from one school and a masters from another school. Lol, I’m 64 now and still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
Unfortunately many universities revoke access to everything once students graduate. I graduated in 2016 and my ID, email address, university login, etc. all expired before the year ended.
This video is so great. I just want you to know I was the person who did not get so much out of the last one, and expected the next would be more my speed. But I had no idea I would love it so much. This is going in my research bookmarks folder.
Baby Subie is the cutest!! But I also enjoyed simply watching you talk about a subject you are really passionate about, there was nothing boring about it, no worries! But of course puppy footage is always appreciated!
Sources are so important! Was reading a very popular health book, thin on sources but properly cited, looked up the sources, because that's what the cool kids do. The research he quoted directly contradicted his primary thesis. Always check your sources.
Awesome video! I had no clue how to find and organize any of these things I find. I went to med school, if it was older than 5 years in 99% of the time it was useless. So this is all very new to me. I'd also say, if your local public library has this option, put in a request for secondary sources books. If they know that people are interested in them, they may purchase some.
Oh my goodness, this is SO timely. I have just jumped down my own first very mind bending historical dress rabbit hole. As I bookmarked websites so that I can refer back to the footnotes later, I wondered how you and other fashion historians document the process. I'm sure it's different for each of you. I'm debating if I should employ a special lovely journal, file cards, copious amounts of paper with endless handwritten notes, all of the above, haha... It occurred to me that this could end up being another very addictive and elaborate endeavour.
This makes me want to go back to college. Man I wish we had this back in the day. Yes culture/language/bias, such a huge problem for lots of people! History be crazy.
Literally calling to my heart. Stress searching for images of book inners and rolling my eyes at google on recommended for “potential Missearch” suggestions. No I do not mean “hopalong Cassidy”
![Method Writing: The First Four Concepts - Jack Grapes [FULL INTERVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ba9jAVzADY0/mqdefault.jpg)
Know of any *Free* Research Databases that I missed in the video? Leave them in the comment below!🙏🏻❤
Edit: I didn't realize how much JSTOR offers for free now (I've always categorized it as a paywalled experience) but it is one of the best places for quality academic journals and scholarly secondary sources: www.jstor.org/ -- thanks to everyone who brought that to my attention!! 🎉
Jstor, while paid in general, lets unaffiliated users download 6 free papers per month!
Google Books' gems also include digitisations of several national Parliamentary records (eg Kenya's)!
The Victoria & Albert Museum, which has a LOT of fashion and textile pieces in their collection, has a great, free to use online archive of their collection. It's good for getting a look at extant pieces.
Project Gutenburg also has a ton of public domain books, etc. you can download for free. They've really upped their game in terms of what's available from different time periods.
P.S. I have problem looking at your face -- you're gorgeous! Also, I lipread.
State run libraries in PA are all connected and, with your library card, allow access to the POWER Access library: a shared card catalogue for inter library loans as well as a database of newspaper and magazine articles on various topics. Completely free (for PA residents only 😕), and it helped me with a ton of research when I was in school!
While not primarily fashion history, Project Gutenberg is a great resource for free ebooks, including lots of classic literature.
Also, libraries are a great resource! If you’re affiliated with a university, you’ll have your pick of databases through your university library, but even if you’re not, many public libraries have inter library loan systems where you can borrow a book or article from another library that has that book/article. My university in Michigan was a part of Michigan’s inter library loan system, so a lot of my friends were able to get books from other public and university libraries for their research. Depending on what’s available to you, you can even request a first edition or other specific edition of the book you’re looking for.
As one of my former professors was fond of saying - "The first rule of history research is to remember that people, and especially Victorians, LIE."
That's basically what SCA costumers say in regard to medieval clothing. I've heard so many iterations of, "Please ignore the Victorians," and "No, that's a Victorian fashion plate! Look at this manuscript instead," but that quote is really the best I've encountered. (Not that I'm not grateful to the Victorians for pioneering Medieval study in the first place... ;))
@@rosalielangmod6244 Her name was Joan Kent. :)
That was my reaction when I was researching the history of lace.
@@biguattipoptropica uuuuuugh. All the sympathy!
@@gwirithil1 Thank you! --I am curious after reflection: is the second rule of history research to remember that, if clerics and other buddies are condemning a fashion, it usually means that people were doing the thing they keep complaining about?
During my graduate studies, me and some of my history major cohorts refered to ourselves as "raiders of the lost bibliography."
Immediately thinks of @RachelMaksy ! ♡♡♡
@cindy rosser - .^_^.
One little-known fact about academic journals in general: the amount of money an author gets from a publisher when someone pays for access to their paper is often ZERO - and those authors would much rather you be able to read the work that they put so much time & effort into than not. So, if you're able to email an author whose paper is trapped behind a journal's paywall and ask, they will usually be very happy to *send you their paper for free* (as long as you cite them/don't plagiarize/don't ask them to do your research for you/etc).
Additionally: for a lot of papers that are behind paywalls, the supplementary materials (any additional methods, results, tables, datasheets, etc.) often NOT behind the paywall and can be downloaded. And many databases that appear to be behind paywalls are really behind "permission" walls instead -- you can look at it for free if you ask permission and convince them that you're using it for legitimate research purposes.This usually means that you should have an explanation of the project you're doing what information you need and why.
I've emailed academics for a copy of their conference papers, and they're usually happy to help.
100% agree. My mum is a chemist and lots of her papers are behind paywalls. She gets requests for copies of her work all the time and she (and her colleagues) are always happy to share
also, if they don't get back to you (happens sometimes)scihub exists, just copy paste the doi and you're set
Primary source: Abby was heard telling a joke about how much laudanum a dress historian in the 1850s took.
Secondary source: Laudanum was common enough in the past that early 21st dress historian Abby joked about previous generations of dress historians taking it.
Tertiary source: At one time laudanum was so widely used by dress historians, that Abby joked about it in the 21st century.
Quaternary source: Laudanum was commonly used by 21st century dress historians.
😂😂😂
This is under-appreciated
Quaternary source => buzzfeed
🤣🤣🤣
Perfect summary
The Cunnington shade 😂
I work at a museum and we had one guy tell us something in our exhibit was wrong and to PLEASE SEE HIS BOOK FOR THE CORRECTION. One of his books had already been blacklisted in our library for having a number of errors. Once you get into a certain industry deep enough, you start learning who can and can’t be trusted.
Important thing about primary sources: they’re the most effective *in aggregate*. Don’t rely on just one primary source (unless you’re specifically recreating the piece from that single source) find a lot and map the similarities. There’s always a few weirdos in every time period that can throw you off, but the odds of picking five of those weirdos by chance is much smaller.
Hi, Nerdy McNerd-Nerd here! This was delightful. Can I add one thing? Along with questioning the interpretation of the the information in your sources - question bias as well. Is the article in a primary source newspaper about new women's fashion written by a man with a grudge? Or by a knowledgeable woman trying to sell something? Those things color the way information is presented and interpreted, and your own biases can color the way you understand it as well.
So true! Sometimes historical satire can be completely lost on a researcher. 😬
Oh yes bias from original sources is very important remember the minister in Abby's boob video complaining he couldn't perv down ladies corsets when the fashion changed!
YES! I used to run research sessions for undergrads, and how to evaluate bias and trustworthiness of the source material is always something I would nail into them!
Ah, this whole thread is making my historian heart sing!
I love this point. My high school librarian made a very good point about this, specifically about news articles and the desire to make something shocking more than accurate in a story she told us, which was basically: Beginning of the AIDS crisis, Journalist "Is AIDS spread through the air?", Doctor "We are unsure how it is spread at this time but it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that it is airbourne.", News Headline "AIDS MAY BE SPREAD THROUGH THE AIR!!!!", *general panic ensues*
Thank you! I was just about to say this! As a Sociology major, I am constantly looking at the world thru a bias lens, so to speak. ALL people have a bias no matter how hard they try to NOT have one too! And other times, it’s just plain obvious like in the case of historical information on periods and the female anatomy that was written about solely by men!
Just remember: when you look at things through rose colored glasses red flags just look like flags.
wow AMAZING advice here
That’s a great line. I am stealing it. Thank you!
That's GREAT
Pretty sure that’s a Bojack quote
As a grad student studying neuroscience, the lack of resources, references, and citations from some people in their field (regardless of the field!) drives me up the wall. I am not interested in dress history beyond curiousity and your shenanigans, Abby, but you present information in a way that is accessible. From one nerd (albeit in a different field) to another, thank you!
Nerds unite ! (Across vastly different, albeit overlapping, fields of interest! )
@J Island I guess I should amend my comment from "most" to some. Otherwise I'm implying that scientists aren't being accurate. I generally find that some statements are made in some of the literature I'm reading that doesn't seem to be supported by anything other than the author's own (previous) work. Or, sometimes I find some assumptions are made but not clearly defined. Whatout references or citations to show how these assumptions can be accounted for, some conclusions drawn read like guess work.
One of the major problems with literature/citations in my field is the assumptions. For example, I'll read an article, which will cite a previous work from the same author. Usually, I'm trying to figure out how they did an experiment (reagents, time, concentration, etc).
I'll go to the citation that supposedly describes the experiment, only for it to further cite another paper. Ok, fine, I'll go check this paper. We're now in the 1960-70s (from the first paper I was actually reading, from 2018). The cited work describes the experiment as "performed as usual." At this point, I now have to start researching how this experiment might have been done back in the 60s/70s, but I can't know for sure what exact conditions were performed for the paper I was originally reading. I have no way of recreating or borrowing aspects of their experiment for my own research.
Part of your challenge is, perhaps, caused by the fact that “neuroscience” is a discipline that only emerged in the last decade or so, when university curriculum planners decided to update the age-old “psych” major by adding some natural science coursework. As a new-ish field of study, there is not a well established body of peer reviewed literature to draw upon for research.
Also a grad student from the STEM field here, and something of notice is that, sometimes, the results and data acquired from the experiment are so uncompatible with the conclusion that you even wonder how the editor okayed it. So I don't even trust the title and the abstract/conclusions, I HAVE to take a good look at the materials/methods.
I'm a librarian and I'd never heard of Elephind. I occasionally get asked for historical paper research, so I'm bookmarking this one and sending it to my colleagues! Excellent video! :)
My nerdy little academic heart is just SO HAPPY seeing all this solid research 💕
Tip - if you need a book, and it’s $800 secondhand, ( as many historical costume books are) university libraries often have it AND - 😃 - you can borrow it on inter library loan. I’ve used this more for how-do-I-make-it books, but it how I finally got a look at the Patterns Of Fashion books. Even the most piddlin’ little libraries can tap into the stacks of big university research libraries. Ask your local branch librarian.
The patterns of fashion books are going to go back into print soon! Just wait for that. So excited!
As a public librarian at a small rural library, I second this! Even our tiny library has a few interesting books on Victorian costuming, and ILLs are something we do all the time. Also check what digital resources your library offers, because you can often find some interesting stuff on there!
Ex-librarian here, *inter-library loan is the best thing ever! Some libraries will even do audio and video through inter-library loan!*
Gosh, this is great! I'm still hoarding paper copies from workshops in the early '90s and printouts from websites from the 2000s because information around fashion history and how to construct it used to be so hard to find. If you're lucky you might meet someone who was willing to share but here is Abby enabling us to find this information (and taking a chunk out of gatekeeping while she is at it!) Thanks for another great video!
I don't know if you've already done this but if you can I highly recommend uploading the papers you have to archive.org so all of us can use the invaluable & scarce resources you might've collected!
Yes please archive it ❤
Thank you for the sources. Two other sources I use for period books is Project Gutenburg and the Antique Pattern Library. Both are websites where people download books they have in the public commons.
Antique pattern library is awesome and has sources you can't find anywhere else!
I've saved the antique pattern library website, what an excellent thing to exist! I already knew about project Gutenberg 🙂
It focuses more on fiber arts, but Antique Pattern Library has a ton of scans of old pattern books for just about every textile/fiber craft there is! A lot from the 1890s thru 1910s, but I've seen some as old as 1840 and as new as 1940s.
Bahahaha LOVED the laudanum reference. Funny because it's true! I was reading a primary herbal remedy source from a 19th century doctor, and almost EVERY remedy ended with, "Greater efficacy is achieved by the addition of laudanum." Also, Subie doing "acrobat yoga" with you is ADORABLE! :-)
Spoken as someone who has worked in an academic research library for 25 years, good job!
Agree from another academic librarian! This is simply a good basic info literacy lesson :)
Social studies teacher here thirding this!
yep not only have I worked in an academic library for years but I also have a bachelor's and masters in history. Abby gave excellent tips :)
“I wanna join this party train. How do I join this party train. I wanna be a nerd, just like everybody out there.”
Some university libraries will offer borrower's cards for an annual fee - not totally free, but def cheaper than trying to access databases on your own. In addition, even if your local library is small or poorly resourced, it might be part of a consortium that has access to online databases. Calling or emailing libraries in your area might turn up more than you expect :)
Sent this to a friend who teaches costume design because I think it could be great for her students. Thanks!
One thing I found looking at primary sources is that you do have to be aware of the author and who they are in relation to the topic. A while ago I was researching 1790s to 1820s fashion in Spain. The majority of easily accessible primaries that I found in English on google books or archives that included descriptions of local or folk dress were travel books written by American men for a grand tour type of audience. So even though they were from the time period, they would use terms that were either mistranslated or misspelled or just flat out wrong and their descriptions/illustrations would make me scratch my head trying to figure out what the heck they were talking about. I was able to use the books as a starting point but then had to go delving down lots of rabbit holes to find the proper terminology and methods of production for some garments by tracking down and cross referencing with some Spanish sources.
I suspect anyone trying to research historical or folk costumes outside the more common English or French sphere of influence would encounter similar problems. If you don't speak the language of the region you are researching it can be challenging to figure out the local, period-correct terms for regional garments.
And I'm here for all the B roll doggie footage😻
I am just about to start an independent study MA class on the history of the male gaze in women's clothing so,,,,, thank you so much for making my life 10x easier,,,,,,
As someone who teaches College Freshmen how to write research papers, I endorse all these tips! Especially the bonus tip.
“How much laudanum were you on?” I just died.
Need that on a t-shirt or bumper sticker (anyone remember those?!) 😉
@@m.maclellan7147 ...i can make that happen....
@@AbbyCox YEAH !!! ;D
@@AbbyCox I need that too!!!!!
@@AbbyCox oh honey!! So many folx have just had their seasonal gift giving made ever so much easier!!
As a retired English teacher, I am now going to share this video with my friends who are currently teaching. The art of research intersecting with the science of the research happens here! It is soul-grinding to examine papers that are just the same regurgitation of the same easily found, boring, sources. (As an English teacher, it is about the process more than the information. However, it is nice to meet interesting in the sea of sameness! ) Thank you for being a passionate flaming beacon of research greatness.
Library of Congress! They have a massive online collection with high resolution images that are copyright freeeeeeeee!!!
"You shouldn't cite a youtube video in an academic paper" _the entire internet research side of folkloristics laughs nervously_
Jokes aside, in most cases youtube is indeed not something you want to cite unless your research is about youtube phenomena. Talking of which, I am so tempted to write a paper on costube haha. Already wrote one in booktube earlier in my studies so it'd make sense.
Also I love how you explain humanities research sources in this video :) Thanks for the dresshistory research tips!
Tiffanyferg did an Internet Analysis video recently on costube, if you are interested in a UA-cam video you shouldn't cite 😂
@@SparkleFeyed Haha I have already seen that! I would write my paper from different angle (focusing on vernacularity, maybe?) than she does her videod but I love her work!
Is tempted to go follow you & other folklore folks on UA-cam, but realizes that I spend WAY too much time on YT already! (Blame Covid!)
@@m.maclellan7147 Haha, time management first! I don't do videos myself (I am horribly camera shy, but maybe one day) but folklore has a lot of cool stuff to learn :)
@@gildedgitta in ye Olde Days, I bought some used Foxfire books.....LOVED THEM !
I am a big fan of stories that also teach you a usable skill ! Sometimes the power goes out & you'll be the only one who knows how to DO things.....and may have some interesting stories to tell as you do ! ;)
Old Bailey is excellent. I was having a wander through, looking at information on the First Fleet. It was amazing to see how many people were transported to Australia for stealing articles of clothing!
If looking at Australian history make sure you check out the history of Norfolk Island as well. It was a penal colony for the 'really' bad people.
My mum visited Norfolk about 20 odd years ago and told me the story of someone who had been sent there for stealing a handkerchief.
It appears that an ancestor of mine - was stolen from multiple times:
John Rysdale a hosier, walking in (no, really) Drury-Lane - had his handkerchief stolen. Mr. George Webb was transported (at age 20) for 14 years. A few years later he's a silk-stockmaker and his brother in law who was let go the day prior, a Mr. Charles Tyrrell, breaks into the warehouse and steals a bunch of things. Transported 10 years.
Will be back to take notes... I have been doing family history/research for years now. But will be researching dress history to help with family members I have found, as far back as 1685. There are no photos or physical descriptions of them but this will help picture them as people instead of names and dates on paper.
For Australians, Trove is a great source for recent history.
Bit more information for at home ancient historians: We don't have primary/secondary sources. We have Modern sources and Contemporary sources. Contemporary are split into written and physical, and some societies don't have a written contemporary sources which can be translated (*cough cough* 'Minoans' *cough cough*).
Glad I'm not the only Australian interested in fashion history desperately lamenting the amount of historical sources other countries have, lol.
Not going to lie, I've been considering a massive research project to consolidate information and sources on Australia's 18th and 19th century colonial fashion because I'm sick of it being all over the place and hard to find. Are the any that you recommend in particular?
@@AssignedCryptid Can't say I do, I only know the database from year 8 history when we did stuff with WW2. I know the National Trust in Victoria has some good pieces (www.nationaltrust.org.au/collections/costume-collection/). All the best with your research though.
I love Trove, and found the consolidated collection of the Australian Women's Weekly a good resource, not only for fashion, patterns and pictures, but the suggestions of what patterns and materials were recommended for different age groups and occasions.
Just going to pop the link to Trove in here 🙂: trove.nla.gov.au/
Terminology is really difficult when you're in non english speaking countries. I tried buying corset materials and discovered that from everything I needed only bias tape has a name in hebrew
I think it's mainly that our ancestors dressed so differently from the westerners up until the last century. Don't take my words for granted as my only source is my mother, but due to factors like climate (you _know_ the inescapable _heat)_ availability of resources & a strong leaning towards conservative clothes, the way Middle-Eastern people dressed, & the tools & terms they used when making the dress, is drastically different from the form-fitting, revealing, & warmly layered clothes of the west.
Also the sad fact that paople hear are generally way too occupied with putting politics into everything to care about preserving any sort of local history, let alone dress history, so even if the names existed, there's just no easy way for people to learn them
I tried researching traditional folk costumes from other countries and the websites weren’t in English, so I used the automatic website translator on google and so much stuff made no sense
All of this was super helpful, and I so so so appreciate your ask to not just use people to answer your assignments for class! I've gotten that A LOT and it's just exhausting. I also wanna say thank you for telling folks not to take this info as a reason to go completely trash other people's videos or work. I've seen that happen time and again in this community and it's never just a "hey, that's interesting because I found this one resource that says something different than your research" it's flat out "you're stupid and you don't know what you're talking about." Like... c'mon people. We don't need to be like this.
I loved doing my own research! I loved getting sidetracked because I saw an interesting book in the stacks as I was going by. I loved finding the odd little stories in newspapers as I was scanning for my keywords. No, none of it was helpful in the least, but it was really fun!
Another part of using secondary sources is learning about the inherent biases of the person who authored the secondary resource. You might have what looks like a fantastic secondary source, with footnotes and cited primary sources, only to learn later that the author either really loves or really despises something about the topic, and their cited research has been carefully picked with the goal of convincing other people to accept that bias as fact.
@AriallaMacAllister - That is why you absolutely cannot rely on only one source.
@@MossyMozart Absolutely! The more quality sources the better!
Non-standardized spelling in historical primary sources, Yay! I used to be a history teacher and I would tell students to put in multiple spellings in searches.
I love history and all that goes into it. While I loved the fur-baby pics, my first thought was, 'How could I be sick of watching someone talking about researching history?'
Source quality is sooooooo important, as I always tell my students! Interestingly, in science we use in text citations rather than footnotes, footnotes are rare in scientific papers.
Yes, I was thinking this must be field specific. In my field, footnotes/endnotes are for asides/supplementary comments, so a lack of footnotes/endnotes would not be an indication of a lack of rigour. What matters is that there's a list of works cited and references to those works in the correct places in the body of the text.
Yay research tips!! (Definitely a Nerdy McNerd-Nerd)
Cute puppy pics!!
...Now Im curious as to what you found and how your opinion on witch hats has changed! ...Maybe a pt 2 video? XD
It didn't really change, change, but there's was just more uncovered that gives even *more* nuance to the discussion...
@@AbbyCox just for the record, in case you wondered, we’d absolutely watch another entire video with the updated research 🤷🏻♀️
I would very happily watch an update video even if the changes are subtle, I'm here for all the witch hat videos
As a Quaker, I am 100% DOWN with updated nuance...
Not a dress historian, just a gal who nerds hard for the Humanities (went through an MFA in Creative Writing program, and got everything but the legal piece of paper that proves it). But I do have two things to say: 1) Footnotes are where all the cool kids hang out, and 2) Also, check the bibliography or Works Cited. If the author your reading keeps citing *themselves* -- Drop that source and Run.
Also, if you find a journal article you want to read but it's behind a paywall, email the main author requesting a copy, frequently they'll just send you a copy
Not a dress history resource but a resource for plants and other cool old books the BHL. Which is the Biodiversity Heritage Library it is a completely free digitized library.
since youtube seems to have eaten my original comment: here we go again! If you're in a situation where you've read a word in a primary source but struggling with determining what it means, then I would definetly recommend the Oxford English Dictionary. It isn't free to use BUT many public libraries have subscriptions to it so you may have local access, wherever you are (I'd def use this after you've tried other sources though). What is most useful about it, is that it gives alternative spellings, so it would catch Abby's tailor/taylor example in the video, and also gives different definitions for the word, including historical ones. So for example, a search there of 'corset' has 4 definitions. Each definition then has a listing of dated uses from different sources, so the second definition of Corset is the one that most people here would give, and I think the first time that was used in written literature (and that has survived to us today) is from 1795, according to OED, followed by a patent in 1796. OED will then give a few examples, followed by the last time it was used, so you get a date range for the use of the word by definition. As I'm sure you can imagine, that's really useful, esp for historians.
I'd also recommend not ignoring twitter. historians on twitter pay attention to the hashtag #twitterstorians and it is quite common amongst working historians when they're having difficulty in reading a word in a *£$%*! badly written hand (ask me how often I've experienced this) to turn to twitter for help. Dos and don'ts: do transcribe as much as you can, put a good picture in, if you can put two in, do - one close up of the troublesome word, one of the word in context. Do put your own transcription in the tweet itself, and give info on the source, e.g. it's a will (or whatever). Don'ts - don't expect full transcriptions of a whole document. that's just cheeky and will get you ignored pretty fast. but it's a great way to make connections online, and as I said, use the #twitterstorians hashtag. Many historians work on twitter, so if a historian you read has published recently, its worth checking if they have a twitter handle and if your !$£@&*%" word is period/subject specific to them, do @ them.
If you're up for reading UK doctoral theses then many of them are available online from the British Library - Ethos is the database in question (google Ethos), which has a listing of just about every UK-based PhD thesis written (the listings include abstracts so you can get a good feel for what the thesis is about). That doesn't mean that every single one is available to download for free via Ethos (Oxbridge in particular don't allow it) but many are, and even where they're not free, sometimes it's cost effective to download esp if you're across the ocean. Cambridge wasn't too expensive the last time I had to do it, for example. Worth a look.
Lastly, check British History Online - google will find it (I think youtube ate my last comment cos of links so not including them). It's a free to use website with lots of primary sources on it, run by the Institute of Historical Research. IHR provide a lot of data, including the BBIH - the bibliography of British and Irish History which is a FANTASTIC database of every book/article/whatever published on British or Irish history since the year dot... I think it goes back to Caesar. :D It isn't free to use but like the Oxford English Dictionary, many public libraries have subscriptions: its worth checking if yours has. This is useful because you can put a subject search in and get a list back of books/articles/etc. published on it, and you can then export that list to something like excel for you to take home and see what you can trace via other sources like google books.
To anyone stepping into the world of historical research: good luck, its a wonderful field and one I truly love!!!
@@valeriem8480 you're welcome! Hope it's useful! There's another comment i wrote further down with a link to a page that has a lot of free resources listed, it was set up IN March 2020 after lockdown prevented many people from working in archives. I think that's worth checking out too!
As someone in academia I always get angry when there are no sources in research
It's even harder when you're no longer affiliated to any university and all your favourite sources are behind paywalls now :(
The Gutenberg Project is a great resource as well!
Digitized newspapers are fabulous if you’re writing a historical novel. BTW. You can look up a specific date in a major town and find out what the weather is like - what people are talking about: What’s the latest scandal. Etc. etc.
Also useful for family genealogy. I discovered from a weather history site that there was a record heat wave the summer my grandmother was pregnant with my mom. When I told my mom, she said that her mother had complained about the heat of that summer, but Mom always thought it was just pregnancy-brain perspective. Now we know there really was something to complain about--and I can include that in my family history.
Being able to include then-current fashion, technology, politics, etc in family histories makes for wonderful context.
This makes me so happy!! In April I finished my (high school) final thesis on fashion history. I live in the Netherlands and Dutch museums aren't particularly invested in fashion history. But the Rijksmuseum has a sort of Pinterest like part of their website, where you can search through their digital archive and save items to a board. You can share these with other people on the website, which means that there are a ton of people who have made these "collections" on one particular topic that you are free to browse through. It's called rijksstudio. They have a very extensive digital archive, with detailed descriptions for each item. Descriptions of extant garments can be a bit lacking and a lot of extant garments (though listed) don't include pictures. But they have a ton of fashion plates and 19-th century photographs on there. Which you can sort by date. I've tried both the Met's and V&A's digital archive and I honestly think the Rijksmuseum's is the easiest to navigate. So whether you're researching fashion history, or just art history in general I heavily recommend it. (also the textile museum in Tilburg has a library with tons of books on textiles and a few on fashion history, which you can access if you get to visit the museum)
Thank you for these! I was wondering how to find reputable resources for research. And fyi- yep- newspapers used to have a morning edition and an evening edition. Morning editions were typically localish news and evening editions were more global/national news.
Super helpful for someone just starting out, non-academic - but absolutely loves nerding out, going to down rabbit holes, and adorable doggos. Thanks!
Thank you, Abby, for posting what is essentially a superb Intro to Historical Research lecture. You made the dry, eye-crossing, but oh so important differentiation of sources WAY more entertaining than I ever could.
These are excellent tips. It's basically what historians do. I learned this when I took History as a major in undergrad and when I got my history master's degree. It takes a lot of work but is also enjoyable when you find some amazing stuff but yeah--research--question--definitely look at the footnotes/endnotes, etc :)
Okay but THANK YOU for not just providing sources that focus solely on what upper and middle class Europeans/white Americans were wearing.
It's been a while since I had to do scientific research but boy did this bring back memories. Great list of resources, too! ❤️
Doctors be like: at LEAST 5 fruit and veg a day..... Me (and Abby): Yay I ate one vegetable look at me gooooooo XD
I have not yet been able to begin gradually purchasing the books I need. For decades I have been gradually buying things I need for my sewing and for setting up my Sewing & Crafts Room. Beyond this so very much more I need to learn. There are times I feel like a sponge soaking it all in and holding it all very dear to my heart.
The timing on this is impeccable. I'm working on a major research project on the evolution of crochet in fashion from 1920's to 2020's.
Oh this is perfect, Tonight I'll go through and l'll post all of my resources on here!
This was so interesting. My inner researcher has become a little dusty over the past year, so this was like a fresh breeze through cobwebs 💖
This whole VIDEO is an amazing resource! I'm an big opera history nerd, and as you can imagine, some of the research involved in opera history is hard to find - particularly if you're looking up a person who wasn't a straight white male global superstar. I haven't checked some of these resources before, and the next time I do a deep dive into an opera research project, I'll look through these!
As someone who has always loved vintage fashion but only really got into costubers and making the switch in my own wardrobe in 2020 this video is EXTREMELY helpful. Thank you so much!!!
Abby: You shouldn't be citing a youtube video in an academic paper
Me: Oops
I think that's just academic arbitrariness, the unwillingness to acknowledge plebian-made sources as secondary because only the approval of old power structures "matters". That's why newspaper reporting gets to be a primary source when it's so often wall to wall lies. Ever read a newspaper article about something you're an expert in? If the argument is anyone can make a UA-cam video, I'd counter with anyone can write a book. A video that cites its sources goes into the exact same category to me as anything else that cites sources.
If you've ever worked in a position that produces those secondary sources (or even many of the primary ones in the case of science) you'd know exactly how arbitrary the process is, and the lack of meaningful oversight to it. If things the smallfolk make independently can be as legitimate as the ivory tower approved ones, that would break their monopoly on what gets considered true.
Depending on the reference style you're using, you can use some UA-cam videos as sources, but you still have to evaluate whether the video/channel is trustworthy - for instance, a recording of Soviet News with translations reporting on Chernobyl as it happened, is a good primary resource. But a reaction video to the same source material probably isn't a good source.
@@tarbucktransom - It all depends on who wrote the words/ filmed the video/ what they knew/ and what they put into it. That is why even Wikipedia has lists of reliable sources vs unreliable sources. Examples: "Washington Post" vs "The Daily Mail" and an animal nutritionist trained at Cornell's veterinary college vs a yahoo down the street.
dude you have NO idea how helpful this is. I know I'm not a legitimate fashion historian or anything, but I just LOVE finding reliable sources, even if it's just for a picture on a Pinterest board(yes, I'm very strict on my dress history boards lmao). You're a savior Abby!!
As an artist, Pinterest makes me CRAZY !!! Hardly ever are the Artists given credit for their work !!!!
Watermark your images, kiddos !
Abby, as a recent doctoral graduate, this is a really great resource video in itself! Very clear and thorough. Loving your passion for research and sharing it with others.😊
I wish you made this video before I uploaded my video on the history of mending! 😝 That being said I had already picked up some of your recommendations and where to find information for free from your previous videos which helped immensely so in the end I found some pretty good sources. If I ever will make a fashion history video again I know where else to look now. 😉
For the general public to get access to the more exclusive databases (i.e. expensive ones you're only going to find at a university) lots of Universities and colleges allow the public to get a community member library card. The level of access to collections and databases will vary, but it's a great resource to look into! Also check with your state library and/or state historical society for access to resources, both online and physical. My librarian/historical interpreter heart is bursting with joy right now, thank you for making this video!
captions: academic research in humidity topics. me: nods and takes notes. (but for reals thank you for the captions and I love your videos dear Abby!)
I wish I appreciated how fun research is when I was younger. Now I love it, kinda like a weird hobby.
Thanks for guiding me down future rabbit holes 😊
Great, that you are emphasizing questioning everything. Many people seem to have forgotten, this is, what lets research progress, and not only in the field of history, but on any subject.
Thank you so much!!!!! I want to get into historical dressmaking but the knowledge that there is soooo so so much I don't know is overwhelming. Not knowing where to start or how to look trips me up every time.
Thank you so much for this. My daughter is starting to write papers in school (grade 6) and she’s been learning about footnotes and citing sources. I’m going to show her this.
Thank you for this video!!!!! As a middle school librarian that fact that you made this makes me so happy 😊
I'm a poli sci undergrad and I am in the middle of doing the biggest research paper I've ever had to write and this actually answered a lot of questions I've had about my own methods. I really appreciate this!
Wait wait wait, other people don't have the whole "sources talk" in secondary school?
…but why?
We had it in like 10th grade at least, but I think even before that.
I studied languages/translation at uni in France, moved to the UK for the third year of my BA and finished my studies there, and only learned about sources, references and citations then 😂 guess you were lucky!
@@ClaraCB5 ...wait so you weren't required to write a coursework at the end of each semester? bc in russia you are, and citations are necessary. in fact, even my high school had that system
...does "coursework" mean the same thing in english..
@@sabr_mandarina In German I think you would mean "Halbjahresarbeit" but in English it would be something like "term paper"
I have reached out to a business once, although it was for a theatre production course and I needed some quotes for rental costs of historical costumes for budgeting. The person was very kind and I then shared the info with classmates and my prof.
Another note. Now that I am a teacher, I feel like I can see myself using this video for teaching about the types of research and why citations are important. You have explained it in a clear way that is also very welcoming and engaging.
As a librarian, I want to thank you so much for giving people this amazing tutorial on research. These tools apply to a lot of different types of research, and you really hit the nail on the head. It's so wonderful that you're using your platform to teach good information literacy!
Looking for footnotes is the academic version of asking for the receipts
I LOVE THE OLD BAILEY RECORDS! They take a little minute to get used to, but once you do... a whole new world!
This Information Literacy Librarian and Archivist is OBSESSED - thank you for making this video, and thank you for including some awesome open access resources!! I'm DEFINITELY going to tell my colleagues about Elephind - newspapers are one of those things that everyone wants, but are in too many different locations for anyone to feel comfortable with.
Thanks Abby! I am excited to use some of these sources. Also another great primary source is patents. I know the US Patent office has many of them online.
This is very helpful. I do American civil war reenacting and we are a Northern unit. Of course I have my black nurse uniform but what would a Northern lady ware everyday? Around camp? To a ball? I know the silhouette but what patterns would the fabric have? I wad told plad was in style but turns out that's more 50's than 60s. I really want to see fashion plates.
Also I received bought an old ladies jacket, I think its late 1800s but honestly idk, it's kind of ambiguous.
Was Project Gutenberg mentioned? Thank you for another great video. Would be interested in your views on where material objects fit in the primary/secondary source - had a friend (literary scholar) argue that archaeological artifacts (I’m lit., arch, and ecology scholar) may be primary sources in themselves but any information gathered from them were secondary sources at best. Was an interesting discussion between two medievalists. In a similar vein would be very interested in any discussions/videos that discuss some of the processes for identifying terminology when all of the initial information is solely a physical object - lets say a garment in this instant.
This made my academic little soul so happy! This is even a great video to show my uni students about the importance of *research*
As one academic (or rather academically trained) to another, thank you, thank you! Though, I may have to disagree slightly on older secondary sources (sans footnotes) as they good in my opinion for seeing where certain ideas came from or how those ideas have changed over time.
If you are studying the changing ideas over time, then people expressing their ideas or interpretations over time are going to be primary sources from that perspective. It just depends on what you are using the source for.
Such an amazing video! A couple tips from your local MLIS student. A lot of libraries/universities will offer research classes that you can attend or have tutorials on their website. These are great because you learn Boolean search terms, how to navigate advanced searches, keyword vs subject search, ect. Databases with a lot of resources are great but can be overwhelming so knowing how to navigate them really helps. Also alongside library resources don’t be afraid to ask the reference librarian for help with research, they’ll also help you navigate this stuff and a lot of ref services are offered virtually these days too! Also look into seeing if your local community college is a part of your library system. A lot of states require community colleges to also be open to the public because they are funded by local tax money. This is awesome because it can give you access to academic sources and databases. One last tip in terms of terminology. Look to see what subject terms are assigned to the resources. A lot of databases will use a controlled vocabulary to help with searching and so terms are assigned to resources (this system isn’t always perfect but it helps!). Clicking on the hyperlinked term in the resource’s description should bring up other sources that are assigned that term. For example “tailor” might be assigned to a resource even though it is spelled “taylor” in the source material. Meaning that even though the spelling is “taylor” searching “tailor” should bring it up. Like I said this system isn’t perfect so you still have to play around with your search terms but it can revel some new sources and can help you learn the terminology while you search!
This warmed my history educator heart. Well done!
Abby, this has gor to be one of the most comprehensive video that I’ve seen of late. Thank you so much xx
At the beginning of the year, my 4th year University cohort got a lecture exactly like this and were still being introduced to new research methods! Thank you so much for taking the time to educate people who don’t have access to academic databases about how to effectively find and utilise sources.
The dogs' pics *chef's kiss*
and for the databases, for french speaking people, there's Gallica, the online database of the french national library, and there are some treasures on there !
Someone once suggested I start a private discord to post links with notes and it's the best tip I got. I have different channels for different topics (or time periods) and it's searchable and things don't get lost in my bookmarks forever.
Thank you, Abby, as a nerd I'm very excited!
Especially with that Bunka Gakuen Library Digital Archive.
I've always felt frustrated when study about historical clothing of the east, since there has so much more database for European or American dress history.
Plus we have less photographic data and no realistic painting to show the details, and the real peaces are in the museum far away in China, Korea, or Japan.
Furthermore, we have very few authentic patterns for traditional clothing, which is pretty sad:(
I agree. I LOVE learning about different cultures and the East is NOT well represented in the dominant U S.A. culture.
So much culture can be learned through dress history, which thanks to Covid, I have become fascinated with !
@@m.maclellan7147 I know! I’d love to figure out what kind of life they had in the past, especially my ancestors, who probably didn’t have much privilege in their lives.
Unfortunately It is really hard to research about poor people’s culture in the East, ‘cuz they were rarely been mentioned, so most of the historical dramas are focused on the rich people.
Thank you so much for this video! I've never been good at school, as I have ADHD, so I basically did the bare minimum in my academic classes. But I've always been interested in history, especially architectural, woodworking, and dress. In the past couple years I've been wanting to dive more into my historical special interests, but I had no clue how to learn about such niche topics, especially woodworking :b I recently refinished a pair of dressers for my boss that, with my amateur research skills, dated to the late 1920's. Using your suggestions I hope to be able to get better at sourcing info than just figuring out when certain tools/teqniques were invented then googling old furniture catalogs to narrow down the age based on similar styles XD
If you have attended a University, you were given a student ID card. That has a library access number on it. I finished my education in 2009 and I can still check out and access databases. The V&A museum also has an incredible collection of fabric prints! They have the physical books of samples, But I wonder if you can access that through the internet.
Yup. I graduated in ‘04 but I still use mine to access Jstor.
Does this work for ancient people who were students before library databases existed?
Gosh, y'all are lucky, my student ID card for both universities I attend were disabled the month after I graduated.
@@lucie4185 I was 40 when I went back to complete my degree. I was 52 when I finally graduated with an MD PHD from one school and a masters from another school. Lol, I’m 64 now and still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
Unfortunately many universities revoke access to everything once students graduate. I graduated in 2016 and my ID, email address, university login, etc. all expired before the year ended.
This video is so great. I just want you to know I was the person who did not get so much out of the last one, and expected the next would be more my speed. But I had no idea I would love it so much. This is going in my research bookmarks folder.
Baby Subie is the cutest!! But I also enjoyed simply watching you talk about a subject you are really passionate about, there was nothing boring about it, no worries! But of course puppy footage is always appreciated!
Sources are so important! Was reading a very popular health book, thin on sources but properly cited, looked up the sources, because that's what the cool kids do. The research he quoted directly contradicted his primary thesis. Always check your sources.
Awesome video! I had no clue how to find and organize any of these things I find. I went to med school, if it was older than 5 years in 99% of the time it was useless. So this is all very new to me.
I'd also say, if your local public library has this option, put in a request for secondary sources books. If they know that people are interested in them, they may purchase some.
Oh my goodness, this is SO timely. I have just jumped down my own first very mind bending historical dress rabbit hole. As I bookmarked websites so that I can refer back to the footnotes later, I wondered how you and other fashion historians document the process. I'm sure it's different for each of you. I'm debating if I should employ a special lovely journal, file cards, copious amounts of paper with endless handwritten notes, all of the above, haha... It occurred to me that this could end up being another very addictive and elaborate endeavour.
This makes me want to go back to college. Man I wish we had this back in the day.
Yes culture/language/bias, such a huge problem for lots of people! History be crazy.
Literally calling to my heart. Stress searching for images of book inners and rolling my eyes at google on recommended for “potential Missearch” suggestions. No I do not mean “hopalong Cassidy”