Computers have become the historical researchers’ powerful ally when it comes to discerning patterns amid data in text. Technology has allowed researchers the ability to complete projects that would have been impossible without these computational methods. The typewriter allowed the researcher the ability to create a manuscript that was legible and edits were cleaner, unlike handwritten documents that needed a cypher. Word processors, the internet and digital databases that allowed researchers the ability to not only type up and revise documents, but to complete research from the comfort of their office without having to drive to a library or archive to review written sources. While some of these tools were advancements allowing finished research to become published article or monograph faster, research has advanced to combine critical thinking with computational data mining that creates new assessments of old research. Continue reading →