This reference guide offers useful and practical guidelines on a number of day-to-day matters of the academe, including referencing and studying for exams. Click here for abridged version of guide book.
Humanities Faculty Research Proposal Guide
This guidebook is intended to assist Masters and PhD students in preparing their reaerch proposals.
Avoiding Plagiarism: A Guide for Students
All students are required to know the meaning and consequences of plagiarism, and the University’s plagiarism policy.
The guidebook seeks to explain ethics review procedures to both researchers (whether they are undergraduate or postgraduate students, staff or visitors) and the staff who are responsible for the administration of review procedures (either through departmental committees or as individual supervisors).
Ethical Clearance for Research
The Department of Historical Studies is intent on conducting historical research in ethically appropriate ways. It has developed through debates and discussions an elaborate set of guidelines for all research associated with the Department. All our Honours students are required to obtain ethical clearance for their research proposals and use the Interview Release Form, Materials Release Form, and Student-Supervisor Joint Statement.
National Archives of South Africa
The Department of Historical Studies encourages young students to engage in archival research. They can select their relevant databases from the link above.
The 500 Year Archive (500YA) is a digital research platform developed by the Five Hundred Year Archive (FHYA) research initiative, a project of Archive and Public Culture (APC), based at the Department of Historical STudies in the University of Cape Town. It allows users to engage with a rich variety of resources pertinent to the history of southern African before European colonialism. Its purpose is to support historical research into these many neglected eras and to encourage the digitisation and the sharing of resources across a network of institutions. It also aims to build a public community of users who are passionate about southern African history and who are interested by the complex forces which shape that history over time.
National Library of South Africa
The National Library, which aims at building a complete collection of published documents produced in or relating to South Africa, houses rare manuscripts, books published in South Africa, periodicals, government publications, official foreign publications, maps, technical reports, Africana and newspapers. Many of these are available on CD or microfilm, in digital format or accessible online.
University of Cape Town Library
The UCT libraries house more than 1.2 million print volumes, in addition to an excellent collection of African documentary and feature films. For a quick search of the bibliographic and full-text databases, electronic books and journals, click the link above.
District Six Museum collections
The Collections, Research and Documentation Department of the District Six Museum curates and manages a unique collection of oral history recordings, historical materials, fine prints and paintings, physical remains of District Six in the form of street signs and architectural vignettes, artefacts, photographic images, books, dissertations, theses, and audio-visual recordings.
Historical Publications Southern Africa (HiPSA)
Staff members of the Department of Historical Studies are associated with Historical Publications Southern Africa (previously the Van Riebeeck Society), which was established to publish meticulously edited original sources on Southern African history.
The Economic History Society of Southern Africa
Staff members of the Department of Historical Studies are associated with the Economic History Society of Southern Africa which promotes the study of and interest in economic and social history of the region.
South African National Antarctic Programme
Staff members of the Department of Historical Studies are active in interdisciplinary Antarctic research.