Issue Details: First known date: 2014... 2014 Who Wrote 'a Visit to the Western Goldfields'? : Using Computers to Analyse Language in Historical Research
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Determining the authorship of unattributed writings can be a major issue for scholars. As this article demonstrates, computational stylistics provides a valuable methodology in helping to answer the question, 'Who wrote it?' Gold occupied much space in the newspapers of colonial Australia in the 1850s-70s. It kept many reporters very busy. Few, however, are known by name. An exception is Charles de Boos, a prolific reporter for the Melbourne Argus and especially the Sydney Morning Herald. Whilst it is possible to identify much of his work, questions arise over the authorship of other columns, such as the series 'A Visit to the Western Goldfields'. Stylistic analysis has confirmed that this series is not the work of de Boos, but that of another writer who remains anonymous. No methodology answers every question, but this example illustrates the potential of computational stylistics to be an important aid in many areas of historical research.' (Publication abstract)

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  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon History Australia vol. 11 no. 3 December 2014 8259134 2014 periodical issue 2014 pg. 177-193
Last amended 22 Jan 2015 11:49:41
177-193 Who Wrote 'a Visit to the Western Goldfields'? : Using Computers to Analyse Language in Historical Researchsmall AustLit logo History Australia
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