Origin | Purpose | Value | Limitations | Time | Place
Created by Scott Schaffner & Matt Kollasch - 12 May 2010 | Updated 13 April 2011
How to Analyze a Source Like a Historian
Origin and Purpose
A historian needs to figure out WHO (origin) created the source, WHEN it was created (origin), and WHY it was created (purpose).
A. Some ideas to help find out who the author is:
Research the author’s credentials (look in book or on the site);
check the "About us' link on a webpage;
Google author’s name;
Check for other books by the author;
Ask these questions:
Is the author formally educated in the subject?
Is the author a professional journalist?
Does the author work for a university or research center?
Is the author a recognized scholar in the subject?
Does the author have an established history of research and writing on the subject
If the source's creator is a Publisher or sponsoring organization:
Identify publisher or sponsoring organization (Google them!).
On Web sites look for “About Us” or “About this Project” links.
Knowing the organization involved might help you evaluate potential usefulness or shortcomings.
B. Some ideas on finding out why the creator made the document:
Ask, "who is author's intended audience?"
Try to determine if the source is written to inform or to persuade (knowing a lot about the creator of the source will be helpful here);
do you think this source was created through a spur-of-the-moment act, a routine transaction, or a thoughtful, deliberate process?
Does the source have first-hand knowledge of the event? Or, did the recorder report what other saw & heard?
Was the creator a neutral party, or did she have opinions or interests that might have influenced what was recorded?
Value and Limitations
Determine if the work is cited in detail. Titles in the sources list might tell you something about the breadth of the author’s knowledge of the subject and about any possible subjectivity. They can also lead you to additional relevant sources.
To determine the value and limitations of the research in the source, ask these questions: o Does the author thoroughly cite all the sources? (Saying "a study was done" is not a citation.) o Is there a list of sources at the end of the article? o Does the author's evidence support the claim? o Is the author's evidence objective research or a personal narrative? o Does it come from a peer-reviewed publication (research evaluated by experts prior to publication)? Time and Place o Check the publication date and determine where books, magazines, etc. o Check for information regarding creation and updating of web sites. o Check the dates for the works cited in a document. Relevance o Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use? o Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question? o Who is the intended audience? o Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e., not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
American School of Warsaw Library
Origin | Purpose | Value | Limitations | Time | Place
Created by Scott Schaffner & Matt Kollasch - 12 May 2010 | Updated 13 April 2011How to Analyze a Source Like a Historian
Origin and Purpose
A historian needs to figure out WHO (origin) created the source, WHEN it was created (origin), and WHY it was created (purpose).
A. Some ideas to help find out who the author is:
Ask these questions:
If the source's creator is a Publisher or sponsoring organization:
B. Some ideas on finding out why the creator made the document:
do you think this source was created through a spur-of-the-moment act, a routine transaction, or a thoughtful, deliberate process?
Value and Limitations
Determine if the work is cited in detail. Titles in the sources list might tell you something about the breadth of the author’s knowledge of the subject and about any possible subjectivity. They can also lead you to additional relevant sources.
To determine the value and limitations of the research in the source, ask these questions:
o Does the author thoroughly cite all the sources? (Saying "a study was done" is not a citation.)
o Is there a list of sources at the end of the article?
o Does the author's evidence support the claim?
o Is the author's evidence objective research or a personal narrative?
o Does it come from a peer-reviewed publication (research evaluated by experts prior to publication)?
Time and Place
o Check the publication date and determine where books, magazines, etc.
o Check for information regarding creation and updating of web sites.
o Check the dates for the works cited in a document.
Relevance
o Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
o Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
o Who is the intended audience?
o Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e., not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?