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Student Research
Guides
Using Sources Correctly
Relevant A-Level History Syllabi
AQA – Unit 4 Historical Inquiry
Edexcel – Unit 4 Historical Inquiry
OCR (specification B) – Personal Study
Links to other Student Research Guides
Useful Online Resources
Completing a Research Project
Aims and Objectives
This guide is designed to assist students in using sources - particularly large, wide-ranging
documents or lengthy texts that might, at first, seem daunting or unmanageable. Using an example
document this guide explains how to approach research by breaking sources into sections so that
useful information can be extracted quickly and used within a research project without wasting
valuable time.
Sizeable Sources
Sources come in a variety of different forms: edited books, editions of a
published series of papers such as journals or periodicals, large PDF files or
reports that present the findings of an entire project in one publication,
and many more. Sometimes this type of source material can contain such a
large amount of information that, at first glance, they can seem a bit
challenging. Remember, however, that not all of the information contained
in the document is going to be relevant to your research question. You very
rarely need to read an entire document in order for it to be useful in your
research.
This guide explains how to make use of larger documents using an example research question and
an example text for reference. The general approach to using documents can also be applied to your
research elsewhere.
Using Sources Correctly Process:
Choosing Appropriate Sources >Using the Document > Remember your Research Question > Referencing
1. Choosing Appropriate Sources
Example question for an A-Level Historical Inquiry:
 To what extent did the Industrial Revolution have an impact on the people and landscapes of
the North Pennines?

A question is made of many parts. In this question it is clear that you
will need to know about the Industrial Revolution, the area of the
North Pennines and have an idea of the kinds of impacts you are
going to be addressing, such as political, economic and social impacts
on the people, and physical impacts on the landscape.
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Epiacum Heritage Ltd.
Student Research
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Using Sources Correctly

You might or might not be able to find a source that provides you with an overview of your
exact topic:
o If you can, then do not just stop at one source - remember to read around and find
additional sources to bring an element of historiography to your work.
o If not then you will need to think of other ways of approaching your research by
thinking about the parts that make up your question.
An example of a document that might be useful:
 Oakey, M., Radford, S., & Knight, D. (2012) ‘Alston Moor, North Pennines: Miner-Farmer
Landscapes of the North Pennines AONB NMP: Aerial Investigation and Mapping Report’
(This document can be found as a PDF file online – a link to it is provided in the Student
Research Guide ‘Useful Online Resources’)


From its title you know this source is going to inform you about the landscapes of the North
Pennines as they exist today. It could be useful when addressing the part of your question
that looks at the physical impacts of the past on the landscape, so is well worth a look.
Never dismiss a source just because the title does not perfectly fit your question – this never
happens!
2. Using the Document





For a quick overview of the document, check the summary, contents and index sections.
In the example source, you instantly know it contains information about the area covered by
the survey, aerial photographs and information about how the survey was carried out,
discussions about archaeological sites within the survey area, from prehistoric through to
the industrial and modern land uses of the area, and the conclusions of the project.
While not all of this information is relevant to your own research question it is clear to see
that by being selective about the bits you read you will be able to get a bit of background
information about the landscapes of the
North Pennines and the changes in their use.
Larger sources are usually split up into
chapters or sections about a particular issue
so that the reader can easily access what they
need.
Your research skills will improve and you will
be able to access a lot more information by
using the layout and the sections of sources to
your advantage.
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Scan QR Code with your
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Epiacum Heritage Ltd.
Student Research
Guides
Using Sources Correctly
3. Remember your Research Question

Answering your question is the overall goal of your project –
by keeping it in mind throughout the research, write-up and
proof reading phases you will know if anything needs editing
so that each word is working towards answering your
question.

Your word-limit will also inform your decisions when selecting
sources and using them in your work. Decide which sources
should take priority in helping you answer each part of your
question in a way that means your work remains focused. The
use of case studies can be helpful here (see Student Research
Guide: ‘Completing a Research Project’).

A successful project will refer to how useful a source is in answering a certain aspect of the
question:
o
o
o
Example:
The source referred to in this guide would be useful in helping to answer the
example question as it can tell you about the physical impacts that past industrial
activity has had on the landscape.
It doesn’t really go into any details about the impacts this had on the people of the
area. To correctly address this part of your question you would need to look
elsewhere.
4. Referencing



Keeping track of the sources you have used is very
important.
If you are using a source to illustrate a particular
argument you are trying to make then it is important
that you reference the author of the source and
comment on what your thoughts are on the point they
have raised.
For guidance with how to reference sources within your
text or in a bibliography, refer to Student Research
Guide ‘Completing a Research Project’.
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