OPVL Chart

Document Type Origin Purpose Value Limitations

 Is it a primary source?  Private reflection?  Content  Personal involvement could lead to
Diary Entry  Who wrote it?  Private reflection with the  Eyewitness account mistruths, omissions, justifications
 Was this person a key view to being published  Person was part of the for actions and undue emphasis
individual? later in a memoir? decision-making placed on certain events.
 When in the course of  Attempts to justify actions? process  Might be written with a view to
events was it written?  Could be candid and later publication and therefore
honest wanting to appear in a positive
light.
 Needs to be cross-referenced with
other primary sources.

 Is it a primary source?  Private and candid
Letter  Who wrote it? comments between
 Was this person a key individuals?
individual?  Not necessarily intended
 When in the course of for public consumption?
events was it written?  Attempt to justify actions?
 Attempt to persuade the
recipient to follow a course
or action?
 Content  Personal involvement could lead to
 Eyewitness account mistruths, omissions, justifications
 Person was part of the for actions and undue emphasis
decision-making placed on certain events.
process  Might be written with a view to
 Could be candid and later publication and therefore
honest wanting to appear in a positive
light.
 Needs to be cross-referenced with
other primary sources.

 Is it a primary source?  Public statement of  Content  Personal involvement could lead to

Speech  Who delivered the thoughts or of official  Statement of official mistruths, omissions, justifications
speech? policies? policy for actions and undue emphasis
 Was this person a key  Propaganda?  Statement of the placed on certain events.
individual?  Facts omitted or individual’s personal  Propaganda?
 When in the course of exaggerated to suit the ideas and thoughts  Facts omitted or exaggerated to suit
events did it occur? audience?  Reaction to various the audience.
 Where was the speech events  Needs to be cross-referenced with
made?  Statement of intention other primary sources.
 Who was the audience?

OPVL Chart 1
Document Type Origin Purpose Value Limitations
 Whose  Attempt to justify actions?  Content  Personal involvement could lead to
Memoir memoir/memories?  Attempt to remember  Eyewitness account mistruths, omissions, justifications
Recollections  Was this person a key details of events for later  Person was part of the for actions and undue emphasis
individual? generations? decision-making placed on certain events.
 How long after the  For the general public? process  Written for publication and
period was the memoir  Could be candid and therefore wanting to appear in a
published or the honest positive light.
memories recounted?  Could be a source of  Needs to be cross-referenced with
valuable information other primary sources.
that otherwise would
be lost

 Is it a primary source?  Public statement of official  Content  Propaganda?

Official  Which institution policies?  Statement of official  Exaggerations?
Government published this material?  Propaganda? policy  Only shows one aspect of
Document  Was this document a  Facts omitted or  Reaction to various government policy?
significant document at exaggerated to suit the events  Does not show the reasons behind
the time? audience?  Statement of intention the policy.
 Does not show how or whether the
policy was actually implemented.

 Is it a primary source?  Public statement of official  Content  Propaganda?

Statistics  Which institution figures?  Statement of official  Exaggeration?
published this material?  Propaganda? figures  Only shows one set of figures
 Was this document a  Facts omitted or  A historian’s summary  Does not show the reasons behind
significant document at exaggerated to suit the of facts and figures the statistics.
the time? audience?  Does not show how these statistics
 Or is it/has it been  Statistics used to illustrate were collected.
compiled by a historian a historian’s point?
as part of his/her
analysis?

OPVL Chart 2
Document Type Origin
 Nationality of the
History Text historian?
 Where was it published?
 When was it published?
 Nationality of the
Biography biographer?
 The relationship between
biographer and the
person?
 Where was it published?
 When was it published?
 Is it a primary source?
Photograph  Who took the photo?
 Was it originally for
private use or the public?
OPVL Chart
Purpose
 Scholarship
 Objectivity
 For students of history and
for the general public
interested in history
 To revise previous
interpretations of the
period or events?
 To present an alternative
view?
 Scholarship?
 Objectivity?
 For students of history and
for the general public
interested in history and in
the lives of important
people?
 To revise previous
interpretations of this
person’s life?
 To present an alternative
view?
 Private family photo?
 Posed?
 Propaganda?
Value Limitations
 Objectivity  Only an extract
 Thoroughly researched  Topic may have been only briefly
 Access to a wide range researched because it is only a small
of sources and part of general history text.
evidence  May not have had access to the full
 Hindsight range of sources especially if
 New evidence published in the West before the
 Analysis of cause and opening of Soviet archives in 1991
effect or before the publication of the
Chinese “literature of the
wounded”, for example.
 Objectivity  Only an extract
 Thoroughly researched  Topic may have been only briefly
 Access to a wide range researched because it is only a small
of sources and part of the person’s life.
evidence  Justification
 Hindsight  May not have had access to the full
 New evidence range of sources especially if
 Analysis of events and published in the West before the
of a person’s opening of Soviet archives in 1991
contributions or before the publication of the
Chinese “literature of the
wounded”, for example.
 Snapshot of a moment  Propaganda
in time  Posed
 Shows how people
lived/dressed/acted
 Could be a source of
valuable information
that otherwise would
be lost
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Document Type Origin
 Was it drawn at the time?
Cartoon  Nationality of the artist?
 In which newspaper or
journal did it originally
appear?
 Was the article written at
Newspaper Article the time?
or Editorial  Or was it written later?
 Nationality of the
journalist?
 In which newspaper did
it originally appear?
OPVL Chart
Purpose Value Limitations
 An interpretation of events  A reflection of public  Biased
at the time opinion at the time in  Opinionated
 Political comment for one of the countries  Does not show the evidence to
readers about particular involved support opinion
events or policies.  Insightful analysis of  May reflect uninformed public
 Propaganda? events and policies opinion
 If published in another
country, is it a positive or
negative comment which
reflects that country’s
public opinion?
 An interpretation of events  Reflection of public  Biased
at the time opinion at the time in  Opinionated
 Political comment for one of the countries  Does not show the evidence to
readers about particular involved support assertions
events or policies  Insightful analysis of  May reflect uninformed public
 Propaganda? events and policies opinion
 If published in another
country, is it a positive or
negative comment which
reflects that country’s
public opinion?
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