PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY
The National Center for Teacher Education
Archival Documentary Research
Using Documents as Research Tool 3. Open-archival documents
Documents -materials that have been deposited in an
-”hallmark of the professional historians” archive, a place which holds public record or other
(Scott, 1990, p.1.) important historic documents
-Marx, Weber and Durkheim 4. Open-published documents
Factors that contributed to the decline in the -printed for wide circulation and sale
use of archival documents as research tool
1. Archival techniques are often deemed Steps in Carrying Out Archival Documentary
“unexciting and dull” Research
2. Social scientists may be put off using
documentary research because of the 1. Starting out
scarcity of literature that discusses the use -find out information like registration
of documents in a standard requirements
methodological manner -check websites (catalogues, documents,
3. There is the matter of choice over location, handling, materials that can be duplicated
documentary sources. DISADVANTAGES: BEST
-catalogue -visit archive
-the officer
2. Identifying and Analyzing Documents
- Catalogues are helpful in assisting the
researcher in locating documents
- Cross referencing the files from relevant
departments
-hierarchy of authority wrote the minutes,
memoranda or letters, for what purpose, and
whether the issues, observations, policies or
Public vs Private problems under discussions were complete and
■ Authorship unbiased
-indicates the origin of the documents,
whether “personal” or “private” documents like Guidelines in Conducting the Analysis of
diaries and letters, or documents that emerged from Documentary Evidence (Duffy,2001)
“official” sphere, for example, central governments 1. Decide on how you want to use documentary
or local authorities like gov’t files and parliamentary evidence.
reports 2. Decide on your approach to the documents
■ Accessibility 3. Undertake a document search to ascertain the
-how easy or difficult it is for researchers to existence of different sources of info
gain access to such documents; classified into four 4. Analyze the nature of the sources used
(4): 5. If the documents are bulky it may be necessary to
1. Closed-type documents decide on sampling strategy.
-accessible to only a selected circle of 6. Be aware that there may be different kinds of
people or the “eligible insiders evidence in each document
2. Restricted documents 7. Subject each document to the critical method and
-accessible on an “ad hoc basis under ask a range of questions
specified conditions to those outsiders who are able 8. Compare the document with other sources to see if
to secure the permission of insiders” it is accurate or representative
9. Then ask further questions about the authors of
document
10. Detect bias in the document
PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY
The National Center for Teacher Education
Sample Research Questions
11. Decide whether the document is reliable for a
1. When did the British government drop the use
particular purpose of “British Commonwealth” in their official
12. Strive to gain a full appreciation of the value of a documents and what was the significance of this
source action?
Guarding Against Threats to Validity and 2. How has the role of “high commissioners”
Reliability (Scott,1990) evolved from the time of the British
1. Authenticity Commonwealth to the 1970s? How did they
- “external criticism” affect relations between Commonwealth
-normally stand for as long as its originality relations?
has never been questioned 3. What reservations did the British government
-verifying the author, the place, the data, have on the draft articles of the consular
the official stamp that appear on the document intercourse and immunities with regard to intra-
Commonwealth relations?
2. Reliability 4. What were the contentions of the United Nations’
members at the international conference on
-”extent to which the evidence is consular relations in 1963 with regard to draft
undistorted and sincere, free from error and Article 36 on freedom of communication? How
evasion” did the delegates resolve this problem?
-”internal criticism” 5. In a world system that was overshadowed by the
-researchers should scrutinize who recorded the Cold War, how were the negotiations on the
information and how accurate their observations are draft articles on diplomatic relations affected by
so that their reasons for writing the documents were hostility between the East and West?
understood in the content of their position and the 6. In 1971 New Zealand, which has been the most
responsibilities they hold in the setting that they loyal member of the British Commonwealth,
proposed a formal change I consular relations of
were in
Commonwealth countries. What caused the
3. Representativeness change in her attitude?
-”representative of the totality of relevant
documents”
-depends on the survival and availability
-may be affected by “restriction”
4. Meaning
-have much to do with “the extent to which
the evidence is clear and comprehensible” to
researchers
-looking at the evidence and determining
the story behind such evidence
Strengths and Weaknesses of Archival
Documentary Research
■ Strengths
1. Use of scanners and digi cams
2. Rich with personal accounts of past events
■ Weaknesses
1. Survival and availability (legal and security reasons)
----------visit archive
2. Time-consuming (relevant, irrelevant)
3. When to stop searching (Platt) Prepared by: Judylyn D. Sacarez
4. Archival muffing (misfiled)
5. Archival stunts
6. Astounding complexes (bizarre materials) -nothing follows---
7. Fortuitous discoveries (useful in unlikely files)
