The digital transformation of historical research encompasses the digitization of historical sources and their transformation into machine-readable data, the development of new and the adaption of existing methods and processes of heuristics, analysis, and communication, as well as the conditions of labor in science that have been changed by digital technologies. On these various levels, the IEG and its employees are helping to shape the digital transformation. In the research projects of the IEG, digital tools and methods are used and reflected upon, digital research data are generated and processed, digital forms of representation and visualizations are examined with a digital source-criticism, research infrastructures are jointly developed, results are communicated transparently, and resources are made openly available.
Digital historical research takes place in all departments and areas of the IEG. As a cross-sectional entity, the Digital Historical Research Unit | DH Lab bundles central tasks and activities. Digital information infrastructures provided by the IEG library, digital formats in Open Access published by the publications department, and digital scholarly communication conducted by the public relations department, the IEG supports its researchers in central aspects of digital scholarship. With IEG digital, the Institute provides online resources on the history of Europe for research and the public.
The digital transformation challenges the entire scientific community. Therefore, we can only meet this challenge in collaborative structures by exploring and helping to shape the opportunities for action that arise. The IEG is engaged in cross-institutional collaborations in research organization, academic societies as well as in research and infrastructure networks. The IEG supports the development of digital methods within the historically oriented humanities as well as the integration of the historical method into the methodology of interdisciplinary research.