Digital documentation today and the historical research of tomorrow

Gli apporti della diplomatica come “scienza di confine”

Abstract

The essay deals with the issue of the forthcoming use, as a source for historical research, of electronic documentation which in recent years has been increasingly accumulated in the archives created by individuals or organizations. Regarding this issue, it is essential to evaluate the authenticity (genuineness) of the electronic documentation used as a historical source, because there are some differences between traditional analogue and electronic documentation that may affect the method to ascertain authenticity. Thus, the essay focuses on the primary role that the most recent research areas in diplomatics can play in identifying how to establish genuineness in the digital environment. In opening up to the study of electronic documentation, diplomatics is being shaped as a “boundary science”, that makes the contributions from other sciences its own. Therefore, diplomatics appears to be able to elaborate an overall vision of electronic documentation.