Text-Based Primary Sources

  • Who is the author?
  • When was the source composed?
  • Who was the intended audience? 
  • What is the purpose of the source? (Note that some primary sources have a central theme or argument and are intended to persuade; others are purely factual.) 
  • How do the author's gender and socioeconomic class compare to those of the people about whom he or she is writing? 
  • What is the historical context in which the source was written and read?
  • What unspoken assumptions does the text contain?
  • What biases are detectable in the source?
  • How do other contemporary sources compare with this one?

Special considerations for editions/translations

  • Is the source complete? If not, does the text contain an introductory note explaining editorial decisions?
  • If you are using a document in a collection, does the editor explain his or her process of selection and/or translation?
  • Are there notes introducing individual documents that provide useful information about the text?
  • Are there footnotes or endnotes that alert you to alternate readings?

Text-based Secondary Sources

  • Who is the author? What are his or her academic credentials?
  • When was the text written? 
  • Who is the publisher? Scholarly, or popular?
  • Who is the intended audience for the text (scholars, students, general reading public?)
  • What is the author's main argument or thesis?
  • Does the author use primary sources as evidence to support his or her thesis? Is the author's interpretation of the primary sources persuasive?
  • Is there primary source evidence that you are aware of that the author does not consider?
  • Does the author contradict or disagree with others who have written on the subject?
  • Does he or she acknowledge and effectively address opposing arguments or interpretations?
  • Do the footnotes/endnotes and bibliography reference other important works on the same topic?
  • Does the author build his or her argument on any unsubstantiated assumptions?