Johan Richard Danielson’s career as a researcher officially began in the 1870s, by which time he had completed his doctoral thesis, his docent dissertation and his professorial treatise. With each piece of research he took on a new topic and new geographical areas. His professorial dissertation was greatest in scope, spanning four centuries of English economic history. Danielson's proofs of academic merit, like his later work, were especially praised for their outstanding use of references, gaining international recognition. Danielson gathered material from various libraries and archives all over Europe in support of his research.

His professorial dissertation secured him a professorship in the Imperial Alexander University upon Zacharias Topelius’ retirement in 1880. Danielson was standing for office against the Swedish-speaking M. G. Schybergson. Apparently Professor Yrjö Sakari Yrjö-Koskinen's statement in support of Danielson's dissertation and against Schybergson's work settled the appointment in Danielson's favour. The outcome of the rivalry between the two is reckoned to have been more an issue of language politics than strictly a matter of scholarly merit.

During the late 19th century, Germany became one of the leading countries in historiography. As an academic discipline based on the scrupulous use of sources, historiography was finally considered to have attained the rigour of the natural sciences. Historians ventured to consider a larger scope of economic, social, and cultural phenomena. Economic and social affairs in particular were of great interest to Danielson's mentors, Gustav von Schmoller and Karl Bücher, an interest passed on to Danielson.

Danielson’s ambition was to place Finnish historiography on a more rigorously scientific footing. He held German historiography in high esteem, and in his view, its Finnish counterpart lagged behind. Quite apart from his adoption of a Germanic philosophy of science, Danielson worked hard to introduce German pedagogical practices in the form of seminar-based teaching. He encouraged students to study in Germany and to spread the latest ideas to Finland. In his later years, Danielson himself could no longer visit Germany. The focus of his research also shifted increasingly towards Finland and nurturing its national identity.

In the 1880s Danielson began to direct his energies towards the political realm. The diffusion of political views through his research did not go without comment. His selection of sources was held to be tendentious and bringing politics into empirical historical research was frowned on. His political science approach encountered particularly strong criticism. History had its own methodology and one which had to be used, or so held the critics. Nonetheless, his students remembered their professor as a hard-working and industrious researcher and teacher, who took the time to help his pupils, no matter how busy he was.

Sources (in Finnish)

• Jukka Tervonen, ”J.R. Danielson-Kalmari. Historiantutkija ja opettaja”.(’J.R.Danielson-Kalmari, historian and teacher’) Gummerus kirjapaino Oy: Jyväskylä, 1991.
• Vesa Vares, ”Danielson-Kalmari, Johan Richard” National Biography of Finland online (Accessed 18.12.2014)
• Wikipedia, ”J.R. Danielson-Kalmari” (Accessed 18.12.2014)
• Historiallisia humanisteja-verkkosivusto,(Historian humanists’ website) ”Johan Richard Danielson-Kalmari”. (Accessed 18.12.2014)