All You Need to Know About Archival Research

Written by Grace Tarrant 

 Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Ula Kuźma on Unsplash

Understanding Primary and Secondary Sources

Do you ever wonder what kind of sources are typically used in a master's thesis? This article will introduce you to the various types of sources used at the graduate level, as well as discuss tips on how to navigate archives. Many professors will say that a thorough master’s research project should involve a sufficient amount of primary and secondary sources to provide a more in-depth analysis of the topic or subject being studied. There are various types of primary and secondary sources; however, the types of sources you may be looking at typically depend on your field of study and topic. Regardless of your field, this article can help you identify which primary and secondary sources might be relevant for you to search for, and whether archival work would benefit your project! 

Some examples of secondary sources are monographs, textbooks, articles and formal reviews of legislation, to name a few. Many masters’ theses will consist of a literature review of the research, related to your field (in the form of articles and books), that have already been published. In my experience doing a Bachelor of Arts, secondary sources are often the only types of sources permitted to be used when writing a formal research paper in undergraduate studies because many, although not all, are considered scholarly. However, in a master’s thesis, typically a healthy mix of secondary and primary sources is required to provide a full, comprehensive picture of your knowledge of the topic.

Contrastingly, primary sources are typically first-hand accounts of an event or a topic, and come from people who have “direct connections” to what you are studying. Interviews, poems, news reports and articles, photographs, and survey data are just a few examples of primary sources. Reviewing the archives is another kind of primary research that can be conducted and is a process that is often undertaken by researchers whose research topic is considered historical. 

The Role of Archival Research

Photo by Grace Tarrant

Archival research typically involves looking through primary sources collected and preserved at a museum, library, or a general repository. A repository is defined as any place or building where things are stored. There are small, more intimate community-run archives sites where community members store their documents and artifacts, such as in local community centres, and bigger archive sites, such as the Library and Archives Canada, that are managed by the government. 

Recently, I visited The Rooms, located in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and was able to review sources regarding my thesis topic in the Collections and Research section of the building. My topic is on the mismanagement of the cod fishery, and how governmental policies deeply impact social, cultural and demographic elements of rural and coastal communities. So, to begin this research process at The Rooms, I informed the archivists of my topic scope and what my plans were. Then, I was assigned a “researcher registration number”, and was required to pay a one-time fee, which would allow me to return to visit the archives throughout my lifetime at no cost. After  I was registered as a researcher and had gone over the visiting rules, I was then able to get busy looking through the catalogue and identifying collections that interested me. I spent quite a while going through the catalogue, writing down the information required to identify the items, and then bringing the list of items up to the archivist who helped find the collections.

I was able to find a number of books and images that were very helpful for my research. However, one thing that is important to note is that just because there is an archive located in the geographical area that you are researching, does not mean they will have useful collections on your topic. In my case, my research topic – the cod fishery, was managed federally, because the Fisheries and Oceans Department is under federal jurisdiction in Canada. Therefore, I found that although The Rooms was helpful, most of the governmental reports and documents that I was looking for are held at the national archives called the Library and Archives Canada. Sometimes, depending on the type of collections you are looking for, you can request that something held in Ottawa be photocopied and sent to your address for a fee. However, some items cannot be mailed.

Tips for First-Time Archive Visitors 

After visiting the archives, I learned about a number of tips that would be useful to offer to first-time visitors.  For one, if you only have a limited amount of time to look through archives, always ask beforehand if photos and cellphones are permitted, because every archive is different. I found it helpful to use my phone to take photos of the collections that I thought were useful because I only had a few days to spend in St. John’s, and knew that I would not be able to return during my trip. Two, be sure to bring a notebook and pencils to use in the archives in case you need to write notes down. It is important to know that many archives only allow pencils because of the risk of getting pen marks on delicate and sensitive collections, although each archive is different.

Overall, having an idea about the various types of sources that will be needed to complete a master's level thesis is the first step to starting your research process! Archival work, specifically, can provide valuable first-hand accounts of a topic that you may otherwise not be able to access. If you have chosen a thesis topic that is considered historical, looking at a past event, a local archive might be the best place for you to start building some primary research. The best way to find out if there is interesting information available on your topic is to plan a visit to the archive that best fits your research scope!