How to Analyze a Primary Source (Carleton College)

Making Sense of Evidence (History Matters)

Document Analysis Worksheets  (National Archives)
Guide to analyzing various kinds of primary sources - written documents, photographs, cartoons, posters, maps, artifacts, motion pictures, and sound recordings.

Critical Evaluation of Resources (Univ. of California Berkeley) - Covers scholarly vs. popular publications, primary vs secondary resources, authority, documentation.

Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask (Univ. of California Berkeley).

• Remember to cite your souce, when either quoting directly or paraphasing. In other words, cite your source whenever you present an idea that isn't your own.
• Websites must be cited in your notes/bibliography, too; if you cut and paste - or paraphrase - from a website, cite the webpage.
• When in doubt, cite your source.
• Remember to include a context for each quotation/paraphrase. Who said it? Why does it matter? How does this support or contradict the argument you're making?
• For citing primary sources, refer to Citing SSC Materials (also pertains to materials in the College Archives)
• Use one of the style guides listed on the Citation Guides & Style Manuals page

The Jacobson Center offers individual writing conferences, courses to improve writing, and online help to guide students through the writing process.

See especially the Jacobson Center's Writing Process Series, which breaks the writing process down into a series of steps and offers advice and strategies relevant to the main issues confronting most writers.