Five qualities of a good DH project (in no particular order):
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Lots and lots of data
- Accessible/Interactive
- Concise Information (including where the Information was found!)
- Scholarly purpose
What makes a good DH project?
A good DH project is somewhat hard to give a clear definition to, but overall it blends the five qualities mentioned above. Any good DH project is nice to look at; if a project is too cluttered, illegible, and generally not pleasing to the eye, the individual looking at it is sure to get frustrated and/or lose interest, no matter how much information is being presented or how useful it is. Staying on the topic of information, or the data collected for the project, there needs to be a lot of it. Using little to no information will make your project seem sophomoric and gives less room for interpretation of the data both by yourself and the individual who is viewing your project. However, having a lot of data means next to nothing if it is not concise and scholarly, and is able to easily be interpreted. You must also include where your data and information was found, in order to give the project legitimacy and credibility.
In addition to the information and data that goes into the project, the project itself must be easy to use and interactive. A project that is confusing and hard to understand will be a major turn-off to anyone who is trying to view it. There should be search features or other tools that allow individuals to find information easily. The project should also find ways to be interactive, in order for the individual to be really hands on with the information they are researching and learning about through your project.
Overall, all these elements must combine to form a project that has a scholarly purpose. Any good DH project should be created in order to present new information to an individual in various ways and in the context of various fields of study. If the project is not scholarly, it serves little purpose.
How does DH let scholars ask new questions?
Digital Humanities allows scholars to ask more questions than ever before. This ever-evolving discipline brings a variety of new ways to present information the forefront, which is vital in our rapidly changing, technological world. With Digital Humanities, scholars are able to look at, interpret, and analyze information in a variety of ways, from GIS to digital archives to topic modeling This allows scholars to see information in the context of many disciplines, rather than just one. With this new method of research, scholars are able to raise ideas, questions, and discussions that may have not been possible before. Working in the Digital Humanities discipline can also help scholars raise new questions about the tools they are using to do this new research, and can help them ask questions about how the tools work and they ways they become more efficient in order to meet the needs of a variety of individuals in a variety of different fields of study,