In order to make your research experience a positive one, please be aware of the following:
- Research must be done onsite. Most archival materials are oneofakind,
and
cannot be checked out. Only an extremely small portion is on the internet.
- Most archival repositories will require researchers to use a pencil when taking
notes. Stray pencil marks can be erased while ink marks can permanently damage
valuable archival material.
- Develop specific research questions about your topic before conducting research in
archives. The best way to do this is to read general information found in books or
journal articles to gain an overview of your topic before you arrive.
- Cite the institution that holds the items you use for your research. In order to be
certain that you give appropriate credit, you should ask the librarian or archivist who
assisted you how to cite the material you will be using from each repository.
- Call repositories to make appointments. Archivists and curators often require
appointments. This allows archivists and curators time to think about materials you
may need and allows them to pull some material before you arrive. This may also
allow you an opportunity to conduct research outside normal repository hours.
Additional research tips:
Go to the original source. Most secondary sources are based on primary research
conducted in an archives or historical society. Authors cite the sources they used in
footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography. Examine these to get ideas of where to go for
your own primary research. For example, an author may provide a quote taken from a
diary. Undoubtedly, if you have access to that diary, you will find other quotes and
information to support your topic. You should not hesitate to contact organizations that
are out of state. Some have their collections available through the Internet or may be
willing to send copies for a fee.
Only use copies from original photographs. If you see a photograph in a book that
you want, you should request an original copy from the repository. Some institutions
have their photographic collection on computer and can provide copies free of charge if
provided a disk. Even if there is a reproduction fee, the quality of the photograph will
greatly enhance your project. Furthermore, there may be other photographs housed at the
institution that are better suited to the focus of your topic. Xeroxed photographs from
secondary sources are not primary sources, look unprofessional, and in some cases,
violate copyright laws.
Do not expect onestop
shopping. In most cases, the primary source material needed for
sound historical scholarship will be housed at several different repositories. For example,
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the Arizona State Archives, ASU Hayden Library, and Arizona Historical Society
(Tucson) have archival material on Governor George W.P. Hunt. Once you know the
type of material you want, you should contact several repositories listed in this
publication, even if your particular subject is not listed. Keep in mind that each entry in
this Theme Supplement is only a sample of the material housed at that institution.
Vary your source material. By varying sources by location and type, you will improve
the historic quality of your entry (60% of overall score). Judging criteria includes that the
“annotated bibliography demonstrates wide research,” “entry demonstrates a balanced
presentation of materials,” and “entry demonstrates use of available primary sources.” In
other words, if your only primary sources are oral history interviews, then you are not
demonstrating any of the aforementioned criteria. Set a goal for yourself of finding
appropriate sources at five different repositories and for including at least five different
types of sources from the following list:
- Oral history interview (conducted by you or find one in an archives, museum or
library)
- Photograph
- Map
- Diary or journal
- Correspondence (letters)
- Newspaper or magazine article
- Brochure or pamphlet
- Artifact
- Government Document
- Newsletter or annual report from an institution, corporation, club or other
organization
- Architectural drawing
- Essay or other manuscript
Remember, in order to be counted as a primary source, magazine articles,
newspaper articles, newsletters, brochures and pamphlets must be from the
period of your topic and must include information from a participant or an
eyewitness. Articles about the history of your topic that are included in
magazines, newspapers, brochures, etc. may be used secondary sources, but are
not primary sources.
Oral History Interviews can provide historical information that was obtained directly
from persons having firsthand knowledge of your topic. Many of the repositories listed
house oral history interviews in written and audio formats. In other words, you may not
have to conduct interviews yourselves to benefit from the type of information that can be
gained from oral history interviews. It is also important to note that the definition of an
oral history interview explicitly states that the historical information is obtained directly
from persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviews with university professors and
other scholars who are knowledgeable about a topic but do not have firsthand experience
as a witness to the topic cannot be considered primary sources. For example, an expert
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on the Depression who was born in 1955 cannot provide a firsthand account and therefore
cannot be considered a primary source.
Using the Internet to conduct research
When you conduct research on the Internet, you often rely on large search engines such
as Google and Yahoo! to direct you to online resources. Unfortunately, some of the best
online resources cannot be located by these large search engines. This is because the
resources “live” in online databases rather than on the web. To access the resources,
searches must be conducted in the database themselves.
-Excerpt
from “Aha! So that’s why I couldn’t find what I was looking for!”
A handout printed by the National Archives.
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