International records / OpenAlex research

Baatonum Toponymy of Nigeria-Benin Border Area: Notes on the Methodology of Collecting Toponymic Data

The collection of toponymic data can be a time-consuming, complex, and potentially unproductive process, particularly if not carefully managed. A key challenge lies in failing to engage community members who possess necessary knowledge, typically preserved through oral tradition. Such oversight may lead to inaccurate or disputed results. Identifying such key informants — bearers of historically rooted knowledge — can be especially challenging in unfamiliar sociocultural environments. This paper examines these methodological diffi culties, with particular attention to locating informants, docum…