There is no single or universally agreed-upon definition of "digital humanities" among digital humanities practitioners and researchers. Digital humanities, or DH, can refer to objects of study, research methods, or technological tools. However, in general terms, we can usefully define DH as the intersection between computational tools and humanities questions. This can involve applying computational methods to humanities inquiry or engaging with digital technologies in humanities research and resource-sharing.
"Humanities data" is also a useful framework for the digital humanities: DH may conceive of humanities knowledge (e.g., a literary corpus, historical records, etc.) as data that can be analyzed, curated, and/or exhibited.
No matter its exact definition or approach, DH is, by its nature, collaborative and interdisciplinary, and often provides ways to share humanities research with communities beyond the academy.
To learn more about the varied definitions of DH, see "What is Digital Humanities?" This webpage contains randomized responses from digital humanists to the question "what is digital humanities?" Each time you refresh the page, you will see a new definition.
This guide provides an overview of the most common approaches to digital humanities projects and of useful methods and tools for project completion. These approaches and tools include the following:
Please browse the guide to learn more and to find useful tools and best practices for each method.
Digital Scholarship Services (DSS) at UCI Libraries is here to help! DSS fosters the use of digital content and transformative technology in scholarship and academic activities. We work with the campus community to publish, promote, and preserve the digital products of research at UCI. DSS can assist with digital humanities, computational research, data curation and management, and scholarly communication.