My name is Lawrence Knight, I am currently in my first year of university, and I am studying for a History BA. I took part in the Collaborative Research Internship scheme during the summer of 2023 where I worked with Prof. Max Saunders and several other interns on the project ‘Collected Letters of Ford Madox Ford’. While working on the project, I mainly transcribed letters and critical essays of Ford’s, both typed and hand-written, and helped with admin work such as sorting and editing online files of previous transcriptions, creating master documents, etc. This was all to assist the editors of the critical volume being put together using these letters.
The project provided a great deal of insight into the process of transcription of sources and the collation and editing of critical volumes; during my history lectures I had been encouraged to consider the hand of the curator and editor when reading edited volumes of sources, and my experiences with this project helped me better understand this crucial aspect of research that I had previously taken it for granted. The project also introduced me to new practical skills, such tools and tricks within Word and Google Docs I had previously never used or was even aware of. For example, using Google Docs to automatically transcribe from images!
Furthermore, working on the project also allowed me to gain insight into editorial work, both in the sense of editing itself (for example, working to a set of conventions) and with regards to editing within the publishing industry (through taking part in admin work and through the regular online meetings). Alongside further developing my independent research skills, I also felt that I gained more confidence in talking to academics. Similarly, I also found just finding out what other pathways are available through university education and beyond was very useful.
Lastly, much of my time working on the project was simply enjoyable. Being able to undertake archival work is something I deeply appreciated both from an academic standpoint and from a personal one; I loved reading Ford’s letters and essays as I was transcribing them. Reading essays and personal correspondence from this period is always fascinating from a language standpoint, and Ford in particular often (especially in his essays) discusses topics I found fascinating (for example, copyright and plagiarism disputes, the development of which is a personal interest of mine, as well as literary criticism and eulogies of some obscure and some very well-known figures). I was slightly anxious about whether or not I’d be up to the task (I sometimes struggle with reading hand-written cursive), and I’m very glad I decided to push through my anxiety and sign up for the project, because it was a very worthwhile experience!
Lawrence Knight, BA History