Primary Sources

It is important to examine primary sources with a critical eye since they represent unfiltered records of the past. Below are some questions to consider once you've found a primary source(s):

• Who is the author or creator?
• ​What biases or assumptions may have influenced the author or creator?
• Who was the intended audience?
• What is the origin of the primary source?
• What was the significance of the source at the time it was created?
• Has the source been edited or translated, or altered in some way from the original?
• What questions could be answered about the time period by using this source?
• What, if any, are the limitations of the source?
• Does your understanding of the source fit with other scholars’ interpretations, or does it challenge their argument?

1. Content - What is the main idea? Describe in detail what you see
2. Citation - When was this created?
3. Context - What is going on in the world, the country, the region, or the locality when this was created?
4. Connections - Link the primary source to other things that you already know or have learned about.
5. Communication - Is this source reliable?
6. Conclusions - Ask yourself: How does the primary source contribute to our understanding of history?