Conducting documentary research

Documentary research provides a better understanding of the distinctive characteristics of community involved in the project. It can also be an opportunity to discover research that has already been done, to build on it and avoid duplicating work. Questions are likely to emerge from discoveries, providing an opportunity to personally learn more from community members about certain topics.

Potential Elements

What are the potential elements of documentation?

Possible types of documentation and formats

Throughout our research, it is quite possible that we will come across different formats of documentation, both physical and digital.

The most common formats are newspaper articles, published scholarly articles, books, maps, family trees, photographs, objects, etc.

Audiovisual material may be somewhat less accessible, as some formats require special devices to access the content. Audiovisual material includes CD-ROMs and DVDs, but also film reels, audio cassettes, VHS films, etc.

It should be noted that, libraries or archives generally have the equipment required to access this content.

Checklist

Here are the types of documents you may come across during documentary research:

  • Text documents
    • Reports, newspaper articles, scientific/academic publications, books, etc.
  • Iconographic documents
    • Photographs, pictures, drawings, postcards, posters, prints, paintings, plans, technical drawings, sketches, cartoons, slides, photo essays, etc.
  • Cartographic documents
    • Maps, plans, sketches, etc.
  • Audio documents
    • News reports, interviews, movies, home movies, television series, documentaries, songs, audio books, audio cassettes, compact discs (CDs), video cassettes/video discs, microfiche, radio recordings, television recordings, etc.
Downloadable tool
File "Conducting documentary research"
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How to create a research plan?

A research plan is developed at the beginning of the research phase and evolves throughout the research project. Its function is to consolidate the documentation needs and the potential sources to be explored to complete the documentation. A chart template that can be used to create a research plan is available in the downloadable tools. It can be modified as needed. Here are the key steps for preparing this plan:

  • At the beginning of the collection and documentation project, it is recommended to write down all initial leads to be explored;
  • As collection meetings progress, new avenues of research will likely be identified. It is therefore possible, to update the chart after each meeting;
  • This chart can become a tool for monitoring the progress of the research. For this type of use, regular updates will help keep track of progress.
Downloadable tools
Research plan to be completed
Link to google drive
Chart of useful documentary research tools
Downloadable document
File "How to create a research plan"
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Where can documentation be found?

Nearly all communities have archives about themselves, often stored in a specific location. Sometimes they are located in the community's educational or governmental institutions. These are good places to look for records relevant to community members. There may also be private archives preserved by individuals. Reaching out to them through community radio or council publications are effective approaches that will promote the project and give it greater exposure.

Regional or national archives should also be considered, as many historical archives are located there. For several years, these centers have been encouraged to digitize their collections and archives, which facilitates research and limits the amount of travel required. The content of these databases is almost always associated with keywords. Therefore, to facilitate the work, it is suggested that key terms or topics be identified.

Archives regarding a community may possibly be located in another province following a recentralization (for example, the Hudson's Bay Company Archives concerning the Cree communities of Quebec are located in Manitoba).

References for online research

References for online research Each Canadian province has its own archive with content that is not limited to that province. A tool has been created by the Canadian Archival Information Network; a single search engine allowing access to over 800 archives in Canada.

Reference links

 

Downloadable tool
File "Where can documentation be found?"
Downloadable PDF

 

How to understand the content?

For all documents, it is important to understand who the author is and to take into account the context related to its draft. Archival documents were mostly written by Allochthonous people for Indigenous people. The portrayals within these documents therefore represent the personal perceptions of those who wrote them, that is, the perceptions stemming from encounters, practices and events they witnessed. In other words, it is an external view of the community, and therefore this documentary research cannot replace the knowledge of the people encountered during the project. The latter provide perspectives that are much more representative than those found among their community.

It is recommended to conduct research after a local consultation phase for two reasons. First, because the interviews and the various consultation activities provide more specific leads for research. Secondly, because the perspectives expressed in documentary sources may lead to a false perception that is not compliant with local historical perspectives.

Downloadable tool
File "How to understand the content?"
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4 Archiving and accessibility