But some historical sources were created and saved by people interested in recording history. People kept journals, wrote diaries and autobiographies, recorded family trees, and saved business and personal letters and papers. Analysis of Primary Sources Historians analyse historical sources in different ways. First, historians think about where, when and why a document was created. They consider whether a source was created close in location and time to an actual historical event.
Historians also think about the purpose of a source.
Some primary sources may be judged more reliable than others, but every source is biased in some way. As a result, historians read sources sceptically and critically. They also crosscheck sources against other evidence and sources. Historians follow a few basic rules to help them analyse primary sources. Use these rules and questions as you analyse primary source documents yourself.