A Digital Humanities (DH) project is one which uses digital methods and computational techniques as part of its research methodology, dissemination plan, and/or public engagement. DH projects take many forms and they can include: online archives, interactive maps, text analysis, multimedia essays, data visualization, 3D modeling, historical GIS mapping, digital collections of primary sources, social network analysis, corpus linguistics, crowd-sourced projects, virtual exhibitions, and projects utilizing immersive technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality, all aimed at analyzing and presenting humanities data through digital tools and platforms.
Some notable large-scale DH projects are featured in the this Guide's page "EXAMPLES OF NOTABLE LARGE-SCALE DH PROJECTS"
For a detailed coverage of the many aspects of DH projects see: The Digital Humanities Institute - "What is a Digital Humanities Project?"
Key categories of Digital Humanities Projects include:
Text analysis: Analyzing large bodies of text using computational methods, like topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and stylometry.
Corpus linguistics: Analyzing large collections of texts to identify patterns and trends in language usage.
Data visualization: Presenting complex data sets through visual representations like graphs, charts, and maps.
Spatial analysis (mapping): Using geographic information systems (GIS) to map historical events, locations, and connections.
Digital archives: Creating online repositories of primary sources like documents, images, and audio recordings.
Collaborative research: Engaging multiple researchers and citizen contributors in data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
Multimedia projects: Combining various media formats like text, images, audio, and video to create rich and engaging digital experiences.
Interactive exhibits: Developing engaging online experiences with multimedia elements and user interaction.
Network analysis: Identifying connections and relationships within complex datasets, often visualized as graphs or networks.
Social network analysis: Exploring relationships between people or entities using network graphs.
3D modeling and virtual reality: Creating immersive digital environments using 3D modeling techniques, allowing users to explore historical spaces or artifacts virtually.
Corpus linguistics: Analyzing large collections of texts to identify patterns and trends in language usage.
Digital scholarship editions: Creating online versions of historical texts with annotations and variant readings.
Crowd-sourcing projects: Engaging the public to contribute data and insights through online platforms.
Digital preservation: Ensuring the long-term accessibility of digital materials through proper storage and migration strategies
In view of the gigantic growth and production of Digital Humanities Projects the compilation of a comprehensive database (whether national or international) remains a goal. One example of a pilot effort is the International Database of Digital Humanities Projects (Last update: Tuesday August 16th 2022) created by the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) founded as a venue for collaboration on networked information technologies and resources, particularly among librarians and information technologists with a focus on the higher education and research enterprise. (Last update Tuesday August 16th 2022).
There is one source of information with an international scope that can prove most useful: Reviews in Digital Humanities Project Registry, A-Z, published by Reviews in Digital Humanities (monthly issues), edited by Dr. Jennifer Guiliano and Dr. Roopika Risam. The Project Registry includes projects that have been reviewed in the journal which is a peer-reviewed journal, and the project registry facilitates scholarly evaluation and dissemination of digital humanities work and its outputs.
"We accept submissions of projects that blend humanistic and technical inquiry in a broad range of methods, disciplines, scopes, and scales. These include but are not limited to: digital archives, multimedia or multimodal scholarship, digital exhibits, visualizations, digital games, and digital tools. We particularly encourage submission of digital scholarship in critical ethnic, African diaspora, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American, and postcolonial studies."
As of November 2024, Reviews in Digital Humanities has more than 450K page views, with 115K+ unique users from 150 countries. Among fields of study for the projects we have reviewed, 30% of projects are in African diaspora studies, 21% are in Latinx studies, 9% are in Global Indigenous studies, and 19% are in Queer studies. The remaining 21% come from a variety of fields.
Reviews in Digital Humanities is a member of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals.