Getting Started

The resources in this section are intended to provide guidelines for educators and students when working with primary (original) sources.

Guidelines for Historical Research and Writing

Fourteen steps for writing a historical research paper.

View Guidelines

Reading Primary Sources

A step-by-step guide for students examining primary sources, with specific questions divided into five layers of questioning.

Learn How to Approach Primary Sources

Historical Thinking Chart

How to analyze historic material using sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, and close reading.

View Chart

Reading Like a Historian

An expanded version of the Historical Thinking Chart.

Learn How to Read Like a Historian

Thinking Like a Historian

How to be a history detective.

Learn How to be a History Detective

Teaching Historical Thinking

Ways to approach historical narratives.

Learn About Historical Thinking

Benchmarks of Historical Thinking

Historical thinking and history assessment.

View Benchmarks

Evaluating Information: Civic Online Reasoning

Evaluating online sources for accuracy on civic issues.

Learn How to Evaluate 

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