What are personal and historical documents?

• Personal documents can include:

  • Diaries

  • Letter

  • Photographs

  • Medical files

  • School reports

• Historical documents can include:

  • Parish records

  • Government documents from previous eras

  • Personal documents from the past

  • TV and radio broadcasts

  • Newspapers and magazines

Advantages of using documents:

• Historical documents can be the only way to gain an insight into the lives of individuals in past

• Personal documents can provide greater validity in researching the worldview of an individual

• The unique method of researching those that have not been researched before or have not been considered worthy of research

Practical issues with documents:

• Gaining access- Personal documents will be difficult to access. Historical documents may be difficult to access. Historical documents may be kept away from the public or require special permissions

• Time- Historical documents may require experts to understand the language or context of documents. Documents may need to be translated from different languages- time-consuming

• Finding documents that fit the purposes of the research can be time-consuming and costly to find documents that are specific to a researcher’s needs

Ethical issues with documents:

• Anonymity and confidentiality- personal documents are usually kept away from public away from the public for a specific reason

• Potential harm- Relatives may not wish their family history to be discussed or researchers to investigate sensitive issues such as suicide

• Historical documents, particularly government documents, might not be able to be released because of sensitive material that implicates others in wrong-doing

Theoretical issues with documents:

• Validity- How can researchers be sure that what they are reading is authentic? How do we know if the source is credible?

• Representativeness- Can researchers be certain that the views expressed are representative of the people of the time or of wider society?

• Subjectivity- Often interpretations from documents will be taken by researchers which means they are less objective viewpoints and may be used in a way they were not intended

Examples of documents:

• Thomas and Znaniecki- analysed letters from Polish migrants in the USA to their relatives back home

• Peter Laslett- examined parish records from the 16th century to see household structures

• Douglas-Examined suicide notes and diaries to try and understand the meanings and motivations of suicide victims