Qualitizing Oral History Works-1
Mahya Hafezi
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi
2023-9-21
The Iranian Oral History Website has conducted short conversations with some experts and practitioners on the topic of how to improve oral history books or memoirs, the results of which will be presented to the readers in the form of short notes and in several parts.
■ Linking photo and appendix documents to the book text
The selection of photos and documents at the end should be related to the contents of the book. To improve quality of the work, it is suggested to link these photos and documents to the text. It is better to include the page number of the text in the caption of the photo and document; put also number of the document or related photo in parentheses in the main body so that the audience can easily access it.
■ Detailed descriptions for photos and documents
Captions are necessary for photos and documents in the book; but the more accurate this caption, the higher quality of the work will be. In addition to linking the photo and document to the text, and providing the identity information of the photo and document, there are subtler points that should be considered. Observing these points will increase the audience's research connection with the book.
■ Typesetting the document text
The text of some documents is illegible and will cause the researcher to use them less. Typesetting the text will increase quality of the work.
■ Indexing and commentary
In order to attract researchers more to the oral history book, it is necessary to carefully index the book. The more the content index of the book, the higher its research rank will be. In the index, names of people and places are always present; But you can add other lists to it according to content of the book. For example, for an oral history book on the topic of Holy Defense, indexes of operations, terms, weapons, names of martyrs, etc. can also be prepared.
To be continued...
Number of Visits: 2050








The latest
- An Eternal Lie!
- The 368th Night of Remembrance – Part 2
- Agents in Search for the Fighter
- The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 13
- The Necessity of Standardizing Oral History and Criticism of General Mohsen Rezaei
- The 368th Night of Remembrance – Part 1
- Oral History News of Khordad 1404 (May 22nd – June 21st 2025)
- Najaf Headquarters Human Resources
Most visited
- Najaf Headquarters Human Resources
- Oral History News of Khordad 1404 (May 22nd – June 21st 2025)
- The Necessity of Standardizing Oral History and Criticism of General Mohsen Rezaei
- The 368th Night of Remembrance – Part 1
- The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 13
- Agents in Search for the Fighter
- The 368th Night of Remembrance – Part 2
- An Eternal Lie!
Operation Beit al-Moqaddas and Liberation of Khorramshahr
After Operation Fat’h al-Mobin, we traveled to Kermanshah and visited Sar-e-Pol-e-Zahab before heading to Ilam. During Operation Beit al-Moqaddas, the 27th Brigade was still receiving support from the West. We maintained contact with individuals who had previously worked in Area 7 and were now leading the brigade. It was through these connections that I learned about Operation Beit al-Moqaddas.Memoirs of Hujjat al-Islam Reza Motalebi
Hujjat al-Islam Reza Motalebi is a cleric from Isfahan. Before the revolution, he was the imam of the Fallah Mosque – which was later renamed Abuzar Mosque. By his presence and efforts, Abuzar Mosque soon became a base for supporters of the Imam and the revolution. After the victory of the revolution, he played a role in uniting forces and maintaining political vitality in southwest Tehran.The Necessity of Receiving Feedback in Oral History
Whenever we engage in a task, we naturally seek ways to evaluate our performance — to correct shortcomings and enhance strengths. Such refinement is only possible through the feedback we receive from others. Consider, for instance, a basketball player whose shots are consistently accurate; should he begin shooting blindfolded, his success rate would rapidly decline, as he would be deprived of essential feedback from each attempt.Sir Saeed
The book “Sir Saeed” is a documentary [narrative] of the life of martyr Seyyed Mohammad Saeed Jafari, written by Mohammad Mehdi Hemmati and published by Rahiyar Publications. In March 2024, this book was recognized as one of the selected documentary biographies in the 21st edition of the Sacred Defense Book of the Year Award. The following text is a review on the mentioned book.
