Checking
All sources are useful in one way or another. However, as we have seen, getting the best out of them requires us to examine them closely - even obviously well-informed and official ones like this - and ask:
- Why was this source created when it was?
- Is the person providing the source likely to be well informed about the subject being discussed?
- What is the context of the source? What other information would it be useful for me to have in order to evaluate this source? Can I 'cross-refer' it to anything else I may know about?
- Is it likely that the author of the source has a particular 'agenda' or 'bias' which might affect what he or she says? Does the author have any ulterior motive?
- Are other people likely to use the source in different ways?
Hopefully the answers we get will help in assessing any source from a true historian's perspective.
