Research resources

Whether you are studying for a PhD or researching your family history, this section could have information that will help you!

We host the online version of the Napier Commission, one of the best sources for Highland history around the time of the Clearances and especially useful for family historians searching for Highland relatives.

The Pennie Collection of rare books is a great resource for the history, archaeology and natural history of Sutherland and is available to view in our Dornoch campus.

Our active research staff edit and contribute to peer-reviewed academic journals and informal blogs on different aspects of history. Here are some of the projects they are involved in:

• Northern Scotland is a cross disciplinary journal examining historical, cultural, economic and political aspects of the Highlands and Islands and north east Scotland. Published by Edinburgh University Press.
• The Journal of British Identities is a peer-reviewed, open access journal which aims to encourage public conversations about Britishness. You can read the journal and associated blog on the Hub for the Study of British Identities.
• Northern Studies is the journal of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies. You can download papers from this peer-reviewed journal free of charge.  
• The Coastal History Network was created during the pandemic of 2020 and grew out of the Firths and Fjords blog. You can keep in touch with the network’s activity through Twitter, using the hashtags #coastalhistory #coastalstudies.

You can also browse through our completed research projects and follow the Centre for History on Twitter or Facebook to find out about our latest activities.