Serendipity

Kevin D. Tennent and Alex G. Gillett

Chapter 139 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Historical Organisation Studies, 2026, pp 497-499 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Archival serendipity is the discovery of unexpected materials by the researchers which can cause research to move in a different direction from that originally planned. We present a tripartite ‘spinning plates’ model to integrate the variables of people, place and time to conceptualise archival serendipity. These factors must converge to create ‘optimal serendipity’, allowing for researchers to make unexpected research contributions.

Keywords: Serendipity; Research; Historical methods; Archives; Methodology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332922
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