Whenever I begin a research project, I tend to follow some first key steps in the research process every time. At first, I start with a general search engine, such as Google, and usually read up on the topics Wikipedia page for a general review of what I’m going to be researching (keeping in mind that Wikipedia comes with its flaws and mistakes now and then). Then I turn my focus to databases. Before beginning to search on the topic, I brainstorm several key words and phrases that I think may lead me in the right researching direction. As I find articles that work well with my focus, I look for the keywords section, often placed above the article, to see which words the author designated to represent and bring a basic definition to the article’s topic. When I come across a bigger concept or topic, especially if I find it mentioned in several articles, I will add that to my search to see how the secondary concept applies to my research. In the past this has helped me broaden my search, and I have been more successful in finding primary and secondary sources that address my topic.

The workbook outlined the difference between primary and secondary sources, and also gave several examples of primary sources that may side closer to being secondary sources then originally thought. For example, autobiographies, and often memoirs, can be considered primary sources because the person that they are about writes them. However, the author’s hazy memory, or reliance on friends and family to remember stories and the past, can take away from a single author’s voice being represented.

The workbook also discussed the complications that arise when making inferences about primary and secondary sources. I began to see how skeptically I needed to approach a source after doing the exercise in class where we debated the actual birth date of Benjamin Rush. This past week, while completing the exercises, I found myself picking apart each of the sources more and more because I felt that I couldn’t really be certain about any of them. During the one exercise of having to choose who I thought fired the first shots of the Revolution, I found myself trying to justify my answer by the number of American v. British sources, and other rudimentary details, but then stopping myself midway, realizing those were tendencies that would lead to a poor interpretation of the evidence. Instead, I now know to look at the author and his or her credentials, their connection to the topic, when they wrote and their choice of references. Although I am far from mastering the art of interpreting evidence, I feel that I have gained many tools and tips to improve my skills.