Managing High-Volume Digital Sources in Political Research with Emerging Technologies

Abstract

In this article, we propose a solution to the challenges of working with digital primary and secondary sources in political research. Thanks to the increasingly rapid pace at which sources are created and digitized, we have at our disposal an unprecedented volume of empirical data on past events, processes, and ideas. Recent hardware and software developments allow political scientists to access, organize, and search these sources more easily and accurately than ever. At the same time, the proliferation of online sources has exacerbated the problem of information overload. To alleviate it, we propose using the new generation of personal knowledge management software (PKMs) to create a networked database of sources and annotations and link them to one another. These accessible digital tools allow for the easy and intuitive retrieval and comparison of pertinent details in our sources without losing touch with the sources' broader context and ‘thick’ description.

Keywords: sources, digital research, knowledge management, PKM, methodology, technology, digital tools, information age, paradox of plenty, searchability