To help understand an historical source, it is important consider:

• Who

            Who created it? This could include finding out their: name, age, gender, nationality, occupation, religious beliefs and political allegiances.

• What

            What type of evidence is it (e.g. a document, an artefact, a photograph etc.)?

• Where

            Where was it created? Was it found in the same place or had it moved?

• When

            When was it created?

• A primary source is something written or created during the time under study (e.g. a diary or photograph)
• A secondary source is a second-hand piece of information which often uses or talks about primary sources (e.g. a text book or television documentary).

• Why

            Why was it created - what was its purpose? A source is biased if it only contains one person's opinion/viewpoint on a topic.