Class Outline - Documentation 101, Or, How You Do That Thing You Do

Class Outline - Documentation 101, or, How You Do That Thing You Do…

Instructor: BaronessMaimuna al-Bukhariyya, O.P. (mka: Kate Daniel, M.S., CHES)

E-Mail:

Scope of the Workshop

Effective Documentation
Sources
Web Research
Structure of Documentation
Citations in Documentation
Common Pitfalls of Documentation

Starting Tips

Work on your documentation before you work on the entry (it’s very hard to “back-document”)
Run spell-check, regardless of your spelling proficiency.
Run grammar-check, regardless of your grammatical prowess.
Have “fresh-eyes” review your paper first, before competition.
Review the judges’ guidance and the judging form and incorporate those guides into your documentation/research
Link up your conclusions.
Ask yourself “so what?”

Documentation/Research

Necessary “Evil”
True scholarship – how you did what you did so that others can do it too…
Primary vs. Secondary vs. Tertiary Sources
Each level of source takes the item another step out of its provenance and connection with the original owner/place in time.
If you can’t find primary sources, ALWAYS mention that and explain WHY!
When in doubt, admit if you had problems/troubles, your judge/commentator might have good insight and may offer good advice.
Primary – actually looking at, holding, etc., the item.
Secondary – having an artist’s rendition or a writer’s description of the item.
Tertiary – having a writer’s description of an artist’s rendition of the item.
Always review your source’s citations: any good resources mentioned?
Education is why the SCA exists…

Web Research

Web is a useful resting place for research.
Usually .gov and .edu sites are good sources.
Sites ending in .org can be useful, depending on scope and author’s credentials.
Sites ending in .com should be carefully reviewed first.
Buyer beware – wikipedia.org
It can be a good starting-out point: is there anything out there on this subject, but quickly move to a more reputable site.

Documentation Particulars

3-5 pages
At least 1.5 spaced, with normal margins
No name on the cover-page
Write in the third-person
Use standard fonts for the body of work (non-standard, calligraphic fonts can be saved for the title page, etc.)
3 copies (at least)
Including:
Brief introduction to the item, along with information about the appropriateness of it “in period” (abstract)
“Atlantian short form” info
Who, what, when, where how, and why?
What
What is the item (be specific, provide pictures of the item “in period”)?
What was it used for “in period” (and please specify the “period”)?
What can it be used for in today’s SCA?
When
From when is the historical example (be specific about the dates)?
When was this item made (giving its provenance)?
Where
Where was the historic item made (continent, country, county, city)? If the item isn’t European, explain how it would have been found in Europe between 600-1600 AD.
Where was *this* item made (not necessary, but can be interesting)?
Who
Who would have made this item “in period”?
Who would have made this item “in period”?
Who used this item “in period”?
If it can be used in the “modern world,” who would use it?
How
How was this item made “in period” (include a list of tools and materials used to make it)?
How was this item made (include a list of tools and materials used to make it – if you used modern tools and materials, explain why, and if you used hand-made tools and materials, explain why, and if you purchased any tools and materials and that was done historically, tell me)?
Why
Why was this item made “in period”?
Why was this item made?
Does…
Does this piece do exactly what it’s meant to do?
Does it look, sound, feel, taste, smell like it’s supposed to?
Does it function correctly?
What did I learn?
What did I learn about this piece?
What did I learn about this process?
What worked well?
What didn’t work well?
What would I do differently?
What was my favorite part of the process?
What was my least favorite part of the process?
Did I find the answers in my research that I was looking for?
Note that the “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “who” can easily be put into a paragraph. “How” can be put into one or two paragraphs (a historic “how” and a modern “how”). “Does…” and “What did I learn” can be one or two paragraphs.
History (provenance of the item)
FAQs (can be separate, but make sure your documentation addresses the various FAQs)
Pictures (either cite correctly in-paragraph or place in an appendix)
Bibliography/works cited/references
Flow of Documentation:
Opening statement (what does the author intend to discuss)
Brief explanation of the documentation’s direction
Proof and support of theories
Conclusion(s)

Research Particulars

At least 7-10 pages
At least 1.5 spaced, with normal margins
No name on the cover-page
Write in the third-person
Provide abstract
Use standard fonts for the body of work (non-standard, calligraphic fonts can be saved for the title page, etc.)
3 copies (at least)
Including (if necessary: some research is not of an item, but a concept):
“Atlantian short form” info
Who, what, when, where how, and why?
What
What is the item (be specific, provide pictures of the item “in period”)?
What was it used for “in period” (and please specify the “period”)?
What can it be used for in today’s SCA?
When
From when is the historical example (be specific about the dates)?
When was this item made (giving its provenance)?
Where
Where was the historic item made (continent, country, county, city)? If the item isn’t European, explain how it would have been found in Europe between 600-1600 AD.
Where was *this* item made (not necessary, but can be interesting)?
Who
Who would have made this item “in period”?
Who would have made this item “in period”?
Who used this item “in period”?
If it can be used in the “modern world,” who would use it?
How
How was this item made “in period” (include a list of tools and materials used to make it)?
How was this item made (include a list of tools and materials used to make it – if you used modern tools and materials, explain why, and if you used hand-made tools and materials, explain why, and if you purchased any tools and materials and that was done historically, tell me)?
Why
Why was this item made “in period”?
Why was this item made?
Does…
Does this piece do exactly what it’s meant to do?
Does it look, sound, feel, taste, smell like it’s supposed to?
Does it function correctly?
What did I learn?
What did I learn about this piece?
What did I learn about this process?
What worked well?
What didn’t work well?
What would I do differently?
What was my favorite part of the process?
What was my least favorite part of the process?
Did I find the answers in my research that I was looking for?
History (provenance of the item)
FAQs (can be separate, but make sure your documentation addresses the various FAQs)
Pictures (either cite correctly in-paragraph or place in an appendix)
Bibliography/works cited/references
Flow of Research Paper:
Opening statement (what does the author intend to discuss)
Brief explanation of the research’s direction
Proof and support of theories
Conclusion(s)

Style Manuals

APA – American Psychological Association
Used for scientific papers/research, social sciences
(Author, date) – in-text citations
Refers readers to a list of references at the end of the paper.
MLA – Modern Language Association
Used for English and the humanities
(Author, page number) – in-text citations
Signal phrases and parenthetical references.
Other options: American Anthropological Association (AAA), American Sociological Association (ASA), Council of Science Editors (CSE), Chicago, Turabian
Regardless of which one you use, use it consistently.
Please be prepared to educate your judge about the style.
Cite sources in direct quotes as well as paraphrases

Pitfalls of Documentation:

For SCA specific documentation:
Keep it within the Society’s purview (600-1600 AD/CE)
Find SCA authors’ modern names/credentials/qualifications
Mistress Suchandso may also have a PhD in art history with concentrations in Renaissance art.
Depend more on scholarly research from modern experts
Learning and scholarship shouldn’t be confined to the SCA – see what the “real world” has to offer!

Bibliography/Citation Resources:

Hacker, D. (1995). A Writer’s Reference (3rd ed.). Boston: Bedford Books.

Library Web Team at California State University, Los Angeles. (2014). Style Manuals and Writing Guides. Retrieved on March 10, 2015 from

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). Retrieved on March 10, 2015 from