在20世紀中國史學的發展進程中,陳垣既受到19世紀末、20世紀初中國史學變革的影響,又從中國社會的實際出發,努力建設具有中國特色的民族化史學。他在中外交通史研究中堅持以中華文化為本,揭示中華文化在世界文明發展和中外交流中的重要作用;在史學研究方法上,他注意總結中國古代的考史之法,推陳出新,為新史學考證建立范式。他建設民族化史學的成果,影響和鼓舞了20世紀中國史學的本土化發展。在20世紀新史料大發現的潮流激勵下,陳垣形成了重視史料、擴充史料,搜集、整理、考辨史料的系列思想和方法,其創立的史源學尤為突出。他以近代科學精神指導歷史考證,通過縝密精審的考證過程解決大量歷史疑案;他在《通鑒胡注表微》中總結考證方法,推動新歷史考證學的發展。他在總結中國傳統史學精華、借鑒西方近現代史學成果的基礎上,為中國史學開辟了宗教史、中外交通史、年代學、歷史文獻學等新的學科領域。他還身體力行,倡導刻苦治學、實事求是、力求創新、謙虛謹慎等優良學風,垂范影響了20世紀幾代學人。

Chen Yuan was influenced by the transform of Chinese historiography in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he contributed much to national historiography. He insisted on "Chinese culture oriented" in the study of Sino-Foreign communication history, revealing the significance of Chinese culture in the world civilization and Sino-Foreign communication. Summing up the historical research methods in ancient China, he provided a paradigm of the new historical textual research. His achievements in national historiography had influenced the nativization of Chinese historiography in the 20th century. Stimulated by the discoveries of new historical materials in the 20th century, Chen Yuan formed his historical characteristics, such as paying attention to historical materials and expanding its denotation, and the methods on collecting, sorting out and researching historical materials. The study of historical sources founded by him is particularly prominent. He did historical textual research with modern and scientifical methods, solving a number of historical problems. He summarized the textual research methods in TONGJIANHUZHU BIAOWEI and promoted the development of new textual research. Absorbing the best of Chinese traditional and western modern historiography, he open some new fields, such as history of religions, Sino-Foreign communications history, chronology and historical philology. He also proposed academic spirts, such as researching hard, seeking truth from facts, striving for innovation, modesty and prudence, which influenced later generations in the 20th century.