Good reading is about asking questions of your sources. Keep the following in mind when reading primary sources. Even if you believe you can't arrive at the answers, imagining possible answers will aid your comprehension. Reading primary sources requires that you use your historical imagination. This process is all about your willingness and ability to ask questions of the material, imagine possible answers, and explain your reasoning. Show
As a historian, you will want to ask:
Evaluating primary source texts: I've developed an acronym that may help guide your evaluation of primary source texts: PAPER. Purpose and motives of the author Ask the questions that come under each of these headings. Purpose
Argument
Presuppositions
Epistemology
RelateNow choose another of the readings, and compare the two, answering these questions:
Texts and documents, authors and creators: You'll see these phrases a lot. I use the first two and the last two as synonyms. Texts are historical documents, authors their creators, and vice versa. "Texts" and "authors" are often used when discussing literature, while "documents" and "creators" are more familiar to historians. Evaluating the veracity (truthfulness) of texts: For the rest of this discussion, consider the example of a soldier who committed atrocities against non-combatants during wartime. Later in his life, he writes a memoir that neglects to mention his role in these atrocities, and may in fact blame them on someone else. Knowing the soldier's possible motive, we would be right to question the veracity of his account. The credible vs. the reliable text:
The neutral text: We often wonder if the author of a text has an "ax to grind" which might render her or his words unreliable.
If you take these factors into account, you should be able to read and understand the historical implications of your primary source. This page was adapted from the website by Patrick Rael, "Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students,"(Brunswick, ME: Bowdoin College, 2004). www.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/ What two factors should you consider when selecting sources for use in a research report?Accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency and coverage are the five basic criteria for evaluating information from any sources.
Which of these strategies is mostly likely to help you read more efficiently for a research project?Which of these strategies is mostly likely to help you read more efficiently for a research project? Analyze some of your sources side by side.
Why is Wikipedia a useful source of information in the early stages of a research project quizlet?can be a useful place to look for topics, get useful background information, and find references and sources, especially Web sources.
How do the research projects and assignments in college courses differ from what younger high school students are asked to do quizlet?How do the more advanced research assignments in high school and college differ from what younger students are asked to do? They require you to analyze information and draw your own conclusions.
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