Historian
Job Title
Historian
Day in the Life
Historians contribute to a wide variety of publications. They research, contextualize, write, annotate, and edit historical content for a global audience. Historians work on projects to prepare documents from archival collections and elsewhere for publication. Other historians research and write narrative-based history.
Historians also contribute their research and writing talents to web-based publications and to podcasts. Regardless of product, historians analyze historical documents and sources, provide appropriate context and information to clarify the past, and place the people and events of history within the frames of broader religious history, American history, and global history. Historians work collaboratively with other historians, editors, archivists, and librarians. Historians work according to rigorous research and writing schedules as they produce work that meets the highest professional and scholarly standards.
Experience Pathway
A historian will need an advanced degree in history, religious studies, or a related field. Additional training in fields such as documentary editing and archives is valuable preparation for a historian. Historians must have excellent research and writing skills. They must also exhibit attention to detail, efficiency, flexibility, good interpersonal communications, and the ability to work in an academic environment that requires personal initiative and collaborative competence. As historians grapple with the past, language skills beyond English are increasingly in demand. Historians continue to expand their skill sets through on-the-job development and participation in local, national, and international history organizations, conferences, and seminars.
Thoughts from Our Historians
“Working as a historian in the Church History Department means that I can use the skills and knowledge gained from my graduate education to tell the story of the Latter-day Saints. The Church History Department produces publications of the highest quality for Church members, which means that my contributions have a global impact. And because projects in the Church History Department are collaborative, I get to work with and learn from exceptional colleagues who have helped me grow as a scholar.”