From laws and decrees to oral transcriptions, treaties, letters, speeches, historical newspapers and beyond, historians use primary sources to better understand and explain the past. The Schlager Manual of Primary Sources is the first general guidebook to advise on how to distinguish primary sources from other kinds of historical evidence, identify different categories of sources, and learn how primary sources can be used in historical research and writing. In addition to serving as an essential reference for the identification and citation of sources, this comprehensive manual also provides an invaluable guide to evaluating and assessing the quality of the sources that readers will encounter in historical research. Edited by Eric Cunningham (Gonzaga University) and featuring the contributions of numerous scholars, The Schlager Manual of Primary Sources is a must-have tool for students, researchers, and educators.

Chapter I. An Overview of Historical Sources

A. Primary Historical Sources

• 1. Archeological Sites and Features
• 2. Objects and Artifacts
• 3. Oral Texts
• 4. Visual Sources
• 5. Audio Recordings
• 6. Film and Documentaries
• 7. Lectures (not-transcribed)
• 8. Web Sources and Multimedia
• 9. Digital Text (SMS)
• 10. Documents

B. Identifying Document Sources

• 1. Primary Source Documents
• a. Laws and Decrees
• b. Early Transcriptions of Oral Tradition and Myth
• c. Liturgies, Rites, and Scriptures
• d. Philosophical Treatises and Dialogues
• e. Literature (prose and poetry)
• f. Charters and Treaties
• g. Diplomatic Documents
• h. Government Publications
• i. Journals and Periodicals
• j. Letters, Diaries, and memoirs
• k. Speeches
• l. Newspapers and Magazines
• m. Legal Records, Including Birth and Death Certificates
• n. Institutional Archives, Records, Proceedings, and Yearbooks
• o. Sketchbooks, Scrapbooks, and Ephemera
• p. Genealogical Records
• q. Cemetery and Parish/Temple/Mosque Records
• r. Census Reports
• s. Ship Manifests

C. Practical Illustration of the Difference between Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources in a Research Application

Chapter II: Understanding and Interpreting Primary Sources

A. Phase One: Identification and Analysis

• 1. The substance of the source (what is it?)
• 2. The origin of the source (who produced it?)
• 3. The historical significance of the source (why does it matter to us now?)

B. Phase Two: Interpretation

• 1. Circumstances (under what historical conditions did the author produce this source?)
• 2. Purpose (what positions, assumptions, or commitments inspired the producer?)
• 3. Context (is the source in question isolated, or does it belong to a genre of similar sources?)
• 4. Validity (is the source verifiable as factually accurate?)
• 5. Reception (how was the source interpreted in its time? How did it influence those who initially received it?)
• 6. Historical significance (how has the source influenced history? How does the source serve researchers in our day? How does it influence existing assumptions about historical truth and the “narrative” of contemporary understanding?)

C. Pitfalls of Primary Source Research

• 1. Lack of sources needed to answer research question
• 2. Source bias
• 3. Researcher unfamiliarity with source languages or context
• 4. Researcher unfamiliarity with source methodology
• 5. “Publisher or Platform?” (evaluating information on social media)

Chapter III. Finding Primary Sources

A. Non-digital Secondary and Tertiary Sources

• 1. Bibliographies of textbooks and monographs
• 2. Libraries
• Reference encyclopedias and databases
• Disciplinary archives and websites
• Academic journals
• 3. Municipal and county records
• 4. Local experts, archives, museums, and civic organizations

B. Digital Secondary and Tertiary Sources

• 1. Selected academic search engines
• 2. Selected online academic journal databases
• 3. Selected online primary source databases
• 4. Social media and “citizen journalists”

Chapter IV: Citing Primary Sources

A. The purpose and necessity of clear citation of sources

• 1. An asset to the reader, not an obstacle for the writer
• 2. The importance of knowing the origins of historical data
• 3. Producing quality End-Matter

B. Style Guides