Useful Tips on Analyzing History Sources

Sources

Purpose: what is the source trying to do what is its job? Why? Reliable?

Author: who wrote it? Reliable?

Context: When was it made? What was going on at that time? What was it in, where was it found? Reliable?

Tone: is it biased? Does it take sides? What sort of source is it? Reliable?

Further PACT:

How does the purpose relate to the context?

How does the purpose relate to the tone?

How does the purpose relate to the author?

How does the context relate to the author?

How does the context relate to the tone?

How does the author relate to the tone?

Expand on PACT:

Use own knowledge to expand on:

Reliability

Context

Author

Tone

Purpose

Compare and contrast sources using:

PACT

Own knowledge

References with other information

Add

Extraction (what we can get out of this source)

-          Describe surface information

-          See what the source infers

-          Explore the sufficiency of the of the evidence and the reliability of the evidence

Differences (why are the sources interpreted differently?)

-          Look for obvious differences, surface and inferred

-          Compare the author, situation and motives, depending on the question

-          Vital to use your own knowledge

Reliability (how accurate the source is)

-          Test the info/impression of the source against own knowledge

-          Look at sufficiency- does it give the whole story? Does it give facts, feelings or both?

-          Look at the provenance to establish context, origin and motive. Weather it is biased.

Utility (usefulness)

-          Look at what the source is telling you against what you need/would like to know- remember both surface and inferred information.

-          Measure the sufficiency of the source- how much info/gaps

-          Look at reliability

Reaching conclusions

-          Use all the sources in the debate

-          Recount relevant surface/inferred information from the sources

-          Realise sources support both sides of the argument, use own knowledge to argue sides

-          Weigh the evidence to come down one way, state the case and prove it discounting contrary evidence

-          Refer to content and utility of the sources in the debate

Remember

-          Use quotes/ facts from sources

-          Use your own knowledge/ facts

-          Answer the question