Criminal Characters

Criminal Characters is a ”citizen science” endeavor that enlists ordinary citizens to help catalogue the interesting lives and histories of Australian convicts from the 19th through (the “convict period”) the mid-20th century. This is an interesting project for any, but particularly compelling if you have a connection to Australia. Get involved and you’ll get hands on experience with Australia’s criminal history by transcribing historical crime records.

How do I get started? Check out their website.

How do I expand this narrative arc? If History is in your narrative arc, consider building on this interest with one of the following:

• Enter the National World War II Museum’s Essay Contest;

• See our post on getting any historical research you may have done published in The Concord Review.

• Get involved with more Civil War research through the Library of Congress website.

• If your school offers the ability to do an independent study or writing projects, consider doing a larger research project that expands on this issue. Colleges love “pointy” students, and expansion on a theme will demonstrate your ability to go deep!

HOT TIP: This is an interesting project that doesn’t require a huge time commitment. As with anything, however, you’ll get more out of it if you invest more into it. On it’s own, it doesn’t hold much impact. But combined with another effort (think: research paper, publication) it could really help you stand out (while giving you experience in first-hand historical research with primary sources).