FAQs

On our ‘What is Digital Humanities?’ page, we describe two broad categories of DH research: using digital tools and software in interpreting and addressing Arts and Humanities research questions, and applying critical traditions in Arts and Humanities research to digital technologies. But it is not always easy to determine where the boundaries of DH fall. It is a relatively new field, which has been defined in lots of different ways.

If you are not sure whether your research would fall into the remit of DH, you might find it helpful to consider: whether you are reflecting critically on any digital component of your work, and whether your research could exist without that digital component. We all use digital technologies in the course of research, but DH involves critical reflection on digital technologies. In DH, digital methods and outputs do more than speed up the research or communicate the research; they are part of the research, as they impact the arguments made and the conclusions drawn.

A relational database is made up of multiple tables (of rows and columns), which relate (or refer) to one another. For example, a relational database could include a table of information about people and a table of information about places. The ‘People’ table might include a column ‘birthplace’. Rather than include a lot of unwieldy information about a person’s birthplace in this column, we can simply refer to a particular row in the ‘Places’ table, where more information about that place can be found.

Not all databases are relational databases. Whereas relational databases are made up of tables of rows and columns, graphical databases, for example, are made up of networks of nodes and edges. The same information can be presented in different ways (for instance, as relational data and as graphical data). How you choose to organise and represent your data will depend on what you want to do with it.

The process for requesting a WordPress website for your research group or project is outlined here.

The DH Hub has been created with a remit to support research. At this stage, we are unable to assist with the design or delivery of teaching for undergraduates or taught postgraduate programmes, and with activities that are purely outreach-based.

We recognise that some projects, particularly those that are practice-based, involve public engagement or pedagogy as research. We are able to support these and welcome queries from researchers working in these areas. If you are unsure whether your idea is supported then please get in touch with us.

If you are a PhD candidate or Early Career Researcher working at the University of Reading, we are delighted to support your current projects and to help you consider your future research plans. We also provide planning and development support for anyone planning to move to the University of Reading to take up a research post – for which, please contact Rachel Lewis in the DH Hub team.

The DH Hub does not have any discretionary funding to provide individual staff or departments with technical staff budget or equipment (hardware or software), or cover direct costs for digitisation, scanning, web hosting, or archiving. These elements of a project must be costed as normal.

Similarly, if your project involves the creation or acquisition of an archive (digital or physical) you must secure confirmation from DTS and UMASCS that University of Reading is able to accept and host it, as this may entail extra costs that need to be added to your project.

Our role is to help you cost your DH components accurately, in conjunction with RES, DTS, and UMASCS. We are keeping track of needs across the theme to facilitate consideration of future investment.