Primary Sources

A basic introduction to historical research for anyone and everyone who is interested in exploring the past. Whenever you frame a question with reference to how things have changed over time, you commit yourself to doing historical research. All of us do this all the time, but not everyone thinks very carefully about the best ways of finding information about the past and how it relates to the present.

Now that you have successfully identified your research question, you need to find the places where your early answers might exist. This page will guide you through the process of imagining the kinds of evidence that may exist and finding the sources that do exist. Short of answering your respective research questions, we hope that this page helps you think creatively about ways to go about your research. Having asked a question you want to answer, you will begin to see how the relationship between questions and sources allows each to shape the other. Through this page, you will discover that your research questions and your documents are actually mutually composed.