Researching History: Types of Sources

Beginning Your Research

The hardest part of research is coming up with a research topic or question. Your research topic should first of all be interesting to you -- you'll be spending a lot of time and work on your History Day project so be sure to choose a topic that you are eager to learn more about. Second, choose a topic where there is enough evidence (primary and secondary sources) that you can use (in languages that you read, that are accessible) for your research. Third, choose a topic of the "right" size. Topics that are too narrow may not be historically important or significant and you may not find much evidence. Topics that are very broad may be too complex for a History Day project.

Where can you find some possible topic ideas?

Take a look at this year's theme and sample topic list. This list may give you some ideas.
Brainstorm some ideas alone or with friends. Take 3 minutes and jot down possible topics -- subjects that have always interested you. Once you are finished read through the list and see if any of the topics and be transformed into a history-related subject. So if you have on your brainstorming list the Seattle Mariners, you might think of some sports-related research question such as "how did Jackie Robinson take a stand for civil rights" or "what role do the Olympics play in international relations?"
Read today's newspaper. Are there historical concerns related to the news? For example, "how did the Islamic revolution in Iran impact the more secular states in the Middle East?" or "what role did the Soviet-Afghan war play in the rise of the Taliban?"
Browse through some books especially history encyclopedias. For example if you are interested in the Civil War, take a look at a Civil War encyclopedia (for example the Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: a political, social, and military history) -- what topics look interesting? There are all sorts of specialized encyclopedias on historical topics and events. Check with your school and public library for some possibilities.

Once you come up with a topic that you think will work check with your teacher and school librarian. Your teachers and librarians will be able to help refine your idea and give you leads on where to begin your research.

For additional information on formulating a research topic see:

What are Primary Sources?

Primary sources are the evidence left behind by participants or observers of a given event or during a particular period of time. They are the "leavings, the shards, the remnants of people who once lived and don't live any more." Primary sources allow us to make personal connections to the past. And finally, primary sources are the evidence used by historians to support an interpretation of the past.

The availability and kinds of primary sources vary with time period and topic. For example in times of low literacy, there will be fewer documents and those that exist will come from a certain class of people (those that are literate) or from a governing source. Primary sources for earlier periods of time will be more scarce than for recent times. Though many primary sources have been transcribed and published, primary sources are usually in the original language (though some have been translated into English) so most material from the Russian Revolution is in Russian rather than English.

Primary materials also need to be carefully read and interpreted. Some questions to ask include:

Who created the source and for what original purpose?
Did the creator have firsthand knowledge?
What biases or hidden agendas did the creator have? Is the document meant to persuade or inform?
Was the source originally meant to be private or public?
When was the source created? Soon after the event, years later?

For more explanation on how to use and interpret primary sources see:

Types of primary sources include:

Published materials: Books (including memoirs), magazines, newspapers
Unpublished materials (these can later be transcribed and published): Diaries, letters, manuscripts
Records: Government documents, census data, birth certificates, organizational minutes, business reports
Images: Photographs, film, art and posters, advertisements, maps
Audio: Oral histories, interviews, recordings
Oral History of Mae Holden Wheeler | Ivy Trail interview | Keep the Home Fires Burning
Artifacts: Buildings, tombstones, clothing

What are Secondary Sources?

Secondary sources are accounts of the past created by people writing about events sometime after they happened (this could be a few years later or centuries later). In other words, secondary sources are what historians (and History Day participants) create.

Historians' creations usually come in the form of books and journal articles. They are an analysis of past events and times based on evidence provided by primary sources which are cited in numerous footnotes and in a bibliography. Some examples of secondary sources are:

An article by Michael Jay Friedman published in 1999 on the Vietnam War.
A book by Hasan Kayali published in 1997 on the last years of the Ottoman Empire.
An article by David Menichetti published in 1997 on German policy during World War I.
A biography of William Brewster by Ashbel Steele published in 1857.

Secondary sources are useful to:

Provide an introduction to a topic. This is especially true of encyclopedias and textbooks which are specialized types of secondary source.
Provide historical/broader context for a topic. For example if you are researching women's suffrage in Washington State, you may want to use a secondary source to get information on how the state effort compared to the national and international suffrage movement.
Provide historiographical context for a topic. In other words, how has this topic been interpreted by past historians. History is not stagnant but is constantly being reinterpreted in light of new evidence and new outlooks.
Provide hints on where to find primary evidence. A good secondary source will have footnotes and a bibliography so you can trace the historian's trail of evidence. You can then find the evidence and present your own interpretation.

History Day Research at the University of Washington Libraries

Image: 1911 Tulalip Indian School football team. Courtesy of American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Digital Collection.

Last modified: Wednesday August 22 2007
Theresa Mudrock / mudrock@u.washington.edu