Using/analysing sourcesReliability needs to be worked out before usefulness

Reliability- accuracy & truthfulness

Although reliability & usefulness are linked, they are NOT interchangeable. Just
because a source is considered unreliable it does not mean it is useful. Ie. Propaganda.
In fact its very unreliability may be what makes it so useful ie. Propaganda could
hardly be regarded as reliable information, however it could be considered useful in
showing mentality at that time.
3rd person/past tense in writingwhen trying to determine reliability ask yourself- how accurate is the source, how truthful is the source.
- Just because a source is primary DOES NOT mean it is more reliable than a
secondary source.
Consider that1. a person involved in an event may be too close to it to write objectively about
it.
2. a person writing sometime after the event may lose some memory of it
3. the person may not be in possession of significant details
A clue to a sources reliability may be found in their content, origin & audience.
ContentReliability if content determined by the contents accuracy & usefulness
Origin- name of person (authors identity, nationality, status)
- location from where information is taken (location of sources ie. Book,
newspaper, diary)
- relationship of the author to the event. Was the author an expert on event.
Does the position of the person make the source subjective.
- Date of the source
Audience- who is the source produced for
- was it made for publication
- private or public
- consider how the audience affects what information. What may & may not be
included
- consider how the audience affects the accuracy of what is written
Motive- reason/purpose of writer in producing source
- motive is sometimes indicated by the tone or mood of the source
- tone- language/images being used. Ie. Emotional, argumentive, optimistic
Bias- events in history have more than 1 view or perspective
- bias source only gives 1 view where another is just as possible

ask-

author has a certain preference

is the writer an impartial observer or a deeply involved participant (look at

sources origin & writers origin)
- sometimes in not being bias you have to detect what has not been said/left out.
Bias can be deliberate or unintentional & thus bias effects reliability
Completeness- is source complete
- is it damaged
- any obvious emissions
To check the reliability if evidence historians use the tests of
- consistency
- corroboration or supporting/adding
-

does the evidence contradict itself

does it agree with evidence from other sources

UsefulnessWhen confronted with a question about usefulness ask yourself-

does it assist us in understanding a particular issue

usefulness of secondary source, it is a starting point
if encountered source while researching what could you do with it
can you use it to explain some aspect of the past

The degree of usefulness is determined by its reliability. The more reliable the
more useful.
However, in the case of propaganda it is different- because while the information may
not be entirely accurate, the source is still useful in showing propaganda.
The degree of usefulness is also determined by its perspective. Ie. A soldiers diary
may only give a limited perspective (one soldier in one trench, one battle) whereas a
generals memoirs/biography might give a broader perspective and hence might be
more useful. The broader the perspective, the greater the reliability. Historians tend to
be more reliable as they are not emotionally involved & more objective. A secondary
source could be more reliable than 1st hand or primary source because of hindsight.
2 opposing views on the same event might be more useful than 2 presenting the same
argument because there is more than 1 perspective.
Photographs- produced for a purpose- therefore may affect its reliability & usefulness.
- Photos are record of 1 moment in time from one persons perspectivetherefore affects usefulness
Things to consider are:
- has it been posed for

when dealing with WWI photoskeep in mind the fact that many photographs were taken by official photographers
who were given specific tasks by the government & tended to be subjective.
Ask yourself these questions- what is being depicted
- who took the photograph
- under what circumstances was it taken, why was it taken
Cartoons- aim of a cartoon is to express an attitude (opinion) about an event.
- Does not present a reasoned argument, because it is too brief. So as a source it
may not be more useful than a written source.
- In order to understand them, the viewer usually has to have extra knowledge
Ask questions- who is being depicted
- what publication did it appear in
- what event is being depicted
- what is the nationality of its publication (origin)
- who is the audience
In visual sources the tone/mood of the source can be determined by the actions &
appearance of the characters.
PostersLike cartoons they are deliberately published for publication. As either
propaganda/advertising & are therefore bias
- purpose is to encourage a pre-determined response & so the artist will use
techniques such as exaggeration, emotive language, Imagery, in order to
create this response.
- Posters can not appeal to reason or present a balanced/logical argument
because they are seen very briefly. They use exaggeration thus distorting the
reliability
- Propaganda posters deliberately distort the truth (present one-sided view) so
are not reliable
- Useful in showing attitude at the time
- Posters that are less political ie. Enlistment may just try to encourage people
rather than give a distorted view
Memoirs- should be treated with caution when determining reliability
- while they are account of a persons experience it is made for publication
therefore it is unlikely that people will write badly of themselves (can justify own
actions).
- these writers have the benefit of hindsight. Knowing what happened after the
event encourages the writer to be more objective
Diaries, however should be treated with caution
Ask questions- who is writing
- what position they held

when were memoirs published

does memoirs match other sources

Official primary sourceInclude- official letter

- telegrams
- memoranda
not meant for publication
Often used to inform & not influence, making them accurate & reliable
Personal primary sourcesInclude- private diaries
- personal letters
this type of source is amongst most reliable evidence
Contains information that is not meant for publication. These sources must be
considered within their context- A person may not be honest in a letter to a friend ie.
Letter to family from soldier may be deliberately played with (censorship).
Secondary sourcesProduced after event by people not themselves involved. They have an advantage of
comment on cause, effect, motivation & consequences.
These sources express the writers opinion. In order to judge reliability have to assess
primary sources it is based on.
Has the writer considered all points of view or just based on selective evidence
- provides starting point for own historical enquiry
- is what somebody has already interpreted
- primary sources allow reader to take greater part by interpretation.
PerspectiveIs the position of the creator of the source. Ie. Soldier, German, civilian, female,
working class etc.
Perspetive may affect reliability & usefulness
The degree of usefulness is determined by perspective
Ie. Soldiers diary might only give limited perspective whereas generals memoirs
may give broader perspective
The broader the perspective the greater reliability & usefulness.