LeLv 26

[Martti Kujansuu]

Originally Posted by Jukka Juutinen

And what has university to do with good historical writing?

Basic of scientific writing is teached at the university. Two percent of the hours used to get the Master's degree in history is used on learning scientific writing.

Originally Posted by Jukka Juutinen

E.g. Jukka Raunio´s books are first class stuff, yet he has not studied history in academia for a single second. On the other had, Heikki Ylikangas produces true "nollatutkimus", yet you know his academic credentials. Or Johan Bäckman´s.

The single most important thing in science is that all things in the research can be done again. If I'll try to find the sources on Raunio's books or articles, I can not recreate his "footsteps" at the archive. Raunio has a Master of Science in Technology but I'm not sure if they teach scientific writing in Helsinki "University" of Technology.

Studying in an university doesn't make the text scientific in it's own but it sure helps more than any other education.

Originally Posted by Jukka Juutinen

I do agree that source noting would help a great deal, but then we should add that neither the official 4-volume Winter War or the 6-volume Continuation War history do have footnoting! Or the old Suomen sota. Or Halsti´s trilogy (Talvisota, Kesäsota,...). A fact which e.g. Mauno Jokipii criticised those two series for.

I have understood the "Jatkosodan Historia" was made by the now-late Sotatieteen laitos (part of the Finnish Defence Forces) and not by any credited historian of that time.

Wolf H. Halsti was a Colonel at the Finnish Army and not a historian so it's no miracle he didn't know how to mark down the sources.

Finnish reporter Seppo Porvali has just uncovered a new book which main subject is Finnish fighter ace Ilmari Juutilainen. My understanding is that Juutilainen's own memoir is enough and Porvali doesn't tell his sources and doesn't tell anything new from the subject. This is Porvali's sixth book in just four years.

Martti