Whether using primary or secondary sources, in print or online, an essential step in the research process is evaluating your sources. Good scholarship requires careful reading and critical analysis of information.

Reported they use primary sources in social studies classrooms 2-3 times a month and that use of primary sources increased by grade level. 1 Maddox et al.: Wise-Practice Use of Visual Primary Sources Published by The Keep, 2019 2 The Councilor: A Journal of the Social Studies, Vol. Visual Primary Sources; Written Primary Sources; Links; Primary Sources. This is a dime novel featuring Buffalo Bill. This is the first professional baseball team. Period 1 (1491-1607) The Columbian Exchange Indian Slavery in the Americas Bartolome de Las Casa debates the subjigation of the Indians 1550 (primary source) Native Americans Discover Europeans Speech to Captain John Smith (primary source) Mounting Conflict with Native Americans The Black Legend (primary source) A Critique of the Slave Trade (primary source) Period 2 (1607-1754) The Discovery.

Visual Literacy Primary Sources

Examine the text and visual primary sources in the “Working with Evidence” section at the end of Chapter 14. How did global exchange shape understandings and displays of social status in the Early Modern period? Be sure that your response shows awareness of chapter 14’s main content.

Basic Evaluation Criteria for All Sources

The following questions were adapted from The Information-Literate Historian by Jenny L. Presnell (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007)

Author Authority

Who created the item?
What is his or her affiliation?
What is his or her relationship to the information contained in the source?

Audience and Purpose

Who is the intended audience?
Why was the item created?

Accuracy and Completeness

Is the evidence reliable?
Are the important points covered?
How does the source compare to other similar sources?

Footnotes and Documentation

Are the author's sources clearly identified with complete citations to allow you to find the original source yourself?

Perspective and Bias

How do the author's bias and perspective inform the arguments and evidence presented?

Additional Evaluation Criteria for Visual Materials

In addition to the basic questions above, ask the following questions, which were adapted from A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 6th ed. by Mary Lynn Rampolla (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009).

Visual Primary Source Analysis Tool

Photographs

Where was the image first displayed or published?
Do the angles, lighting, or cropping suggest a particular bias?

Art Works

Visual Primary Sources

Is it a single work or part of a larger movement?
Where was it first displayed and what was the critical reception?

Cartoons

Visual Primary Sources

In what type of publication was the cartoon published?
When? What is the historical significance?
What is its message?