Workshop | ‘Data management and analysis for historical research in Nodegoat’

How do you organize your sources and data? This is an essential question for anyone doing historical research. In this workshop, historians (in training) will learn to work with the research environment Nodegoat in order to store, organize, connect and analyze their own data in a relational database.

Names of the organizers

Thomas van Gaalen (PhD candidate Radboud University) and Marie Keulen (PhD candidate Radboud University)

Event details

Title: Data management and analysis for historical research in Nodegoat
Date: 23 October 2023
Time: 10.00-17.00
Venue: NIAS Conference Room, Oost-Indisch Huis, Korte Spinhuissteeg 3, 1012 CG Amsterdam
Speakers: Pim van Bree and Geert Kessels
Coordination: Thomas van Gaalen and Marie Keulen
No. of ECTS Credits: 1
Open to: PhD candidates and ReMA students
Maximum no. of participants in this event: 15
How to register: by mail: bureau@onderzoekschoolpolitiekegeschiedenis.nl
Registration deadline: 9 October 2023

Brief description of the event
How do you organize your sources and data? This is an essential question for anyone doing historical research. In this workshop, historians (in training) will learn to work with the research environment Nodegoat in order to store, organize, connect and analyze their own data in a relational database. Nodegoat is a web-based research environment especially developed for the humanities and used by an international research community. Nodegoat allows scholars to build their own datasets based on their own data model and offers relational modes of analysis with spatial and chronological forms of contextualization.

In this workshop, given by the two developers of Nodegoat Pim van Bree and Geert Kessels, participants will learn to work with Nodegoat in order to create, analyze and visualize their own data. The focus of the workshop will be on how Nodegoat can be used as a tool for data management in historical research. We welcome all PhD candidates and ReMA students who want to learn more about the research possibilities of Nodegoat, who want to use Nodegoat for their own research and who have already started using Nodegoat. The workshop is geared towards those who have never used Nodegoat as well as to those who have some prior experience with the research environment.

Please note that bringing your own laptop is required for participation.

Indicative programme

10:00 Introduction to Nodegoat
10:30 Who are you and what is your research question?
10:45 Learn how to enter geographical data into Nodegoat
11:15 Break
11:30 Learn how to enter relational data into Nodegoat
12:00 Learn how to conceptualize a data model
12:30 Lunchbreak
14:00 Learn how to implement a data model in Nodegoat
14:30 Enter data in your data model
15:00 Break
15:15 Filter & visualize data
15:45 Import & export
16:00 Conditional formatting, network analysis, linked data connections
17:00 End of workshop & drinks

Learning aims and outcomes

  • Participants will get familiar with Nodegoat, the possibilities of the research platform as well as its limitations for historical research.
  • Participants will learn how to design and create their own data model and database.
  • Participants will learn how to analyze their data.
  • Participants will have the opportunity to discuss their own Nodegoat database with the developers of the platform.
  • Participants will discuss the challenges and opportunities of data management in he humanities.

Assessment and assignments

All participants are required:

  • to make the preparation assignments
  • to read the prescribed literature
  • to attend the workshop
  • to participate actively in group discussions

Preparation:

  • Request a nodegoat account (https://nodegoat.net/requestaccount)
  • Get acquainted with the way in which Nodegoat might help your project by following the online guides (https://nodegoat.net/guides)
    • Create a project
    • Create your first object type
    • Enter your first data
  • Develop a general sense of the research environment and how you want to use it for your project. Explore how Nodegoat has been used by others (https://nodegoat.net/usecases).
  • Read the articles from the literature list (see below).
  • Prepare a top thee of topics and/or questions you wish to explore during the workshop and send these to the workshop organizers in advance.

Readings:

  • Bree, Pim van, and Geert Kessels, “Traiblazing, Object-Oriented Navigation in nodegoat”.
  • Vugt, Ingeborg van, “Using Multi-Layered Networks to Disclose Books in the Republic of letters”, Journal of Historical Network Research (2017): 25-51.