Management of Biographical Research

 

 

It’s a good idea to think through the practicalities of managing a lot of research data, both hard copy and digital. It’s surprising how often a biographer will go back to a source for more information. You need to be able to put your finger quickly on information which links to new material as your research uncovers it.

Information Management System for the Biographer

Create a digital file in your database for each new contact you make. Note the chronological period in your subject’s life, from which this contact arises, and any major events through which they are linked to your subject. Note also how you came by the contact, who the referee was, and what tangible material/artefacts they may have. Back your database up regularly, even transferring to a second computer, as well as holding it on a memory stick.

Consider starting an arch file with a plastic sleeve in it for each page of your intended book. This simple device will make a huge difference to the way you manage your project which will otherwise be largely notional. Once it is in a concrete form, you will be able to develop a feel for how much text versus imagery, how many chapters, how many pages per chapter, etc. This is particularly useful if you are working to a specified page limit.

A mock book like this also provides a place to keep images. As you gather digital images print them off as a quick reference and put them in the book. Pop the hard copy ones in as well.

Consider also how to manage the volume of hard copy; audio tapes, books, files, borrowed letters, photographs, artefacts, newspaper clippings, DVDs, CD’s, etc.

Create a Biographical Timeline

Once your research has been under way for a while, you’ll have enough facts to rough out a reasonably accurate timeline. This is a useful tool for organising factual biographical information, and if it’s properly managed, should form the structure of your biography. Born then, died then, and every event in between.

As new facts come to light, isolate them by their approximate chronological era and then try to link them with related information you already have, along with people you’ve already spoken to. Use your database, and most often, your prodigious memory, to work out who you can approach to garner more information around a given event or period.

Research Confidentiality

Consider if you record your interviews, and it is highly recommended, who will transcribe your tapes. They are essentially sensitive information. When your interviewee agreed to the interview with you, they probably didn’t realise that a third party, your transcriptionist, would sit in on the conversation. The new biographer might like to think about a confidentiality contract with their transcriptionist to protect both the interviewees, and the material you’ve worked hard to get.

As a biographer, you act as a connecting point for many disparate people. You become the hub for all the people who knew your subject, and for those who are interested in your research. A biographer really working in the groove makes a companion of frequent serendipity.

Be prepared for the possibility of uncovering information which might change the direction of your biography entirely.