Source Analysis Template
Source (A) is a (primary / secondary) source. It is a (cartoon, diary entry, speech extract, photograph, table of statistics, etc) from (comment on the origin of the source in as much detail as you can). It shows (describe the content of the source in detail).
The perspective of Source (A) is that of (talk in detail about the perspective – consider nationality, class, gender, age, politics, involvement in an event, time source created).
Source (A) (would / would not) be considered reliable because (say why we can or cannot trust the information in the source – is it an accurate reflection of events, is it for personal or public consumption, can the information be verified by other sources).
By examining Source (A) we can see that it is (very / partially) useful to a historian studying (restate the topic from the question) because (give a reason for your judgement based on the tests you have applied for perspective and reliability).

1. Describe the source o o o o

Primary/secondary
Official/unofficial
Origin – who, where, when?
Content of source – what does it show?

o Cartoon/diary entry/letter/photo/propaganda poster/table of statistics/historical monograph/speech extract, etc. 2. Elements of Perspective o Gender o Proximity o Time o Social class o Power/status o Nationality o Partisanship
Don’t just say what the perspective is; show how this affects the way we view the source. Does it diminish reliability or enhance it? Would the perspective of the author have affected the way they have presented the material?

3. Tests for Reliability o Author o Factual content o Audience o Choice of