DON'T PANIC
Read through the source once
Figure out the Nature, Origin and Purpose
| Nature - What sort of source is it? |
| Origin - Where and when was it written? |
| Purpose - What was it written for? |
What information does the source give us (what does it say)?
What can we INFER (learn) from it when we add in some of our own knowledge?
| REMEMBER THAT ALL SOURCES ARE USEFUL FOR SOMETHING - BUT SOME ARE MORE USEFUL THAN OTHERS IN ANSWERING PARTICULAR QUESTIONS. |
E.g If I was to find Hitler's Diary in a car boot sale it would be one of the best sources ever for finding out what his ideas were and why he did what he did, but it wouldn't be much use in finding out who Jack the Ripper was.
So... Hitler's Diary = VERY USEFUL source & COMPLETELY USELESS source
