This document reports survey results providing data and ideas for evaluating possible Organization of American Historians (OAH) international initiatives. The survey was constructed to address a wide range of issues and to solicit information on those resources that Americanists worldwide either wish to receive or have to offer. It sought…

Contends that two practices of scientific history--the seminar and archival research--influenced historical research more than ideals of truth and objectivity. Discusses sexual bias in relation to archival access and other research practices. (CFR)

Presents an article from volume 1 of "The History Teacher's Magazine," published in 1909 and the predecessor to "The Social Studies." Discusses methods of historical research and compares them to research in the natural sciences. Provides suggestions for students concerning categorizing and analyzing historical documents. (CFR)

Contends that, when laypeople read history, they prefer to read biographies--stories about leaders and people--rather than about social forces and ideas. Argues that the most effective way of writing biography is to write chronologically, not to use flashbacks or flash forward writing. (CFR)

Asserts that the Internet will become the academic communication medium for historians in the 1990s. Describes the "file transfer protocol" (FTP) access approach to the Internet and discusses its significant for historical research. Includes instructions for using FTP and a list of history-related FTP sites. (CFR)

Asserts that increasing numbers of history teachers design courses to have students use historical research and processing skills. Reports on a study of 120 middle school students about their perceptions of what historians do. Concludes that the study provided teachers a means of assessing student understanding of historians. (CFR)

Discusses changes in history textbooks and historical research during the past three decades. Asserts that popular history and social history are emphasized much more than in the past. Recommends that teachers experiment with new ways of teaching history, including using photographs, music, and other primary sources. (CFR)

Asserts that teachers should educate students to use historical research methods, even in the elementary and intermediate grades. Argues that, although history should be taught as a "story well-told," it should also be discovered, just as historians discover it in the course of their research. (CFR)