What strategies can you use when primary sources are incomplete or missing in archival research?

1 Use secondary sources

Secondary sources are sources that interpret, analyze, or comment on primary sources, such as books, articles, reviews, or essays. They can provide you with useful background information, context, and perspectives on your topic. They can also help you identify and locate primary sources, or fill in some gaps in your data. However, you should always critically evaluate secondary sources for their accuracy, credibility, and bias, and compare them with primary sources whenever possible.

2 Use multiple sources

Using multiple sources can help you cross-check, verify, and corroborate your data, and avoid relying on a single source that may be incomplete or missing. Multiple sources can also provide you with different viewpoints, angles, and dimensions on your topic, and help you address potential contradictions, discrepancies, or conflicts in your data. You can use different types of primary sources, such as letters, diaries, newspapers, photographs, or maps, or different collections of primary sources, such as archives, libraries, museums, or online databases.

3 Use alternative sources

Alternative sources are sources that are not directly related to your topic, but can provide you with indirect or circumstantial evidence, clues, or hints. For example, if you are researching the life of a historical figure, and their personal papers are missing, you can use alternative sources such as census records, tax records, court records, or newspaper articles to reconstruct some aspects of their biography, such as their birth date, residence, occupation, or family. Alternative sources can also include oral histories, interviews, memoirs, or folklore.

4 Use creative sources

Creative sources are sources that are not traditionally considered as historical evidence, but can offer you new insights, interpretations, or perspectives on your topic. For example, you can use literature, art, music, or film as creative sources to explore the cultural, social, or emotional aspects of your topic, such as the values, beliefs, attitudes, or feelings of the people involved. Creative sources can also include your own imagination, intuition, or speculation, as long as you acknowledge them as such and support them with other sources.

5 Use methodological sources

Methodological sources are sources that provide you with guidance, tools, or techniques on how to conduct archival research, especially when primary sources are incomplete or missing. For example, you can use books, articles, websites, or courses on archival research methods, such as how to find, select, evaluate, analyze, interpret, synthesize, or present primary sources. You can also use examples of archival research projects, such as dissertations, theses, or publications, to learn from their approaches, methods, or outcomes.

Archival research can be challenging when primary sources are incomplete or missing, but it can also be rewarding and enriching. By using these strategies, you can overcome the obstacles and limitations of your data, and produce original, meaningful, and credible archival research.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?