The reading of sources is one of the most challenging and exciting tasks of the historian and the student. Sources provide our means of access to the past and are the raw materials out of which history is made.
Primary sources are documents, objects, or traces of the past which come from the era being studied.
Each kind of source presents its own challenges and requires a slightly different method of thinking and study. The information below will provide some practical steps to improving your reading of sources. Regardless of which type of source you are reading, the important thing to remember is to be actively engaged with the text. You can sit in front of a book for hours, even underline large amounts of the text, and still not absorb it or understand it. The best way to read is to also take notes at the same time.