Various methods of historical research

At the heart of history as an object and science lies historical methodology. If in many other scientific disciplines there are two basic methods of cognition, namely observation and experiment, then for history only the first method is available. Even though every true scientist tries to minimize the impact on the object of observation, he still treats what he sees in his own way. Depending on the methodological expeditions used by the scientist, the world receives various interpretations of the same event, various doctrines, schools, and so on.

The following methods of historical research stand out:
- brain teaser,
- general scientific,

- special,
- interdisciplinary.

Logical methods of historical research
In practice, historians have to use special research methods, based on logical and general scientific methods. Logical (philosophical) methods include analysis and synthesis, analogy and comparisons, modeling and generalization, and others.

Synthesis involves the reunification of an event or object from more than small components, that is, the movement from simple to complex is used here. The complete opposite of synthesis is the analysis in which we have to move from the complex to the simple.

Equally important are such research methods in history as induction and deduction. The latter allows us to work out a theory on the basis of systematization of empirical knowledge about the object under study, producing numerous consequences. Induction, however, translates everything from the particular to the general, often probabilistic, position.

Also, scientists use analgia and comparison. The first one makes it possible to see a certain similarity between different objects having a large number of relations, properties and other things, and a comparison is a judgment about the signs of difference and similarity between objects. Comparison is extremely important for qualitative and quantitative characteristics, classification, evaluation and other.

Particularly the methods of historical research emphasize modeling, which allows us only to assume a connection between objects in order to reveal their location in the system, and generalization is a method that distinguishes common features allowing to make an even more abstract version of an event or some other process.

General scientific methods of historical research
In this case, the above methods are supplemented by empirical methods of cognition, that is, by experiment, observation and measurement, as well as by theoretical methods of investigation, such as mathematical methods, transitions from abstract to concrete and vice versa, and others.

Special methods of historical research
One of the most important in this area is the comparative-historical method, which not only identifies the deep problems of phenomena, but also indicates similarities and peculiarities in historical processes, indicates the trends of certain events.

At one time, the theory of Karl Marx and his historico-dialectical method became particularly widespread , in contrast to which the civilizational method advocated.

Interdisciplinary research methods in history
Like any other science, history is interconnected with other disciplines that help to learn the unknown to explain certain historical events. For example, using the methods of psychoanalysis, historians were able to interpret the behavior of historical personalities. Very important is the interaction between geography and history, as a result of which the cartographic method of research has appeared. Linguistics made it possible to learn a lot about early history on the basis of a synthesis of the approaches of history and linguistics. Also very close are the links between history and sociology, mathematics, and so on.

Cartographic method of investigation is a separate section of cartography, which has an important historical and economic significance. With its help you can not only determine the location of individual tribes, denote the movement of tribes and others, but also to find out the location of minerals and other important objects.

Obviously, history is closely interrelated with other sciences, which greatly facilitate research and provide an opportunity to obtain more complete and extensive information about the object under study.