Research tips
Top tips for researchers
Some simple preparations will help your research to be more productive.
Understand your research topic
Before delving into archival documents, study the published secondary sources of information in your area of interest. At the least, this means visiting a public or research library to find relevant books and reading them. Useful secondary material may be available in the Sydney Reference Collection.
Formulate your questions
Identify the scope of your enquiry as precisely as possible. For example, are you interested in Oxford Street generally, or a particular section, time period or building?
Use our online search tools
Use the online catalogues and search tools to identify records, photographs or other material that seems relevant to your research.
Ask an archivist
Discuss your research topic with one of the archivists when you contact us to make an appointment. Once we understand what you are trying to achieve, we can advise you on what records are available and how much work it will take.
Allow enough time
Research takes much longer than you will probably expect. Archival records are not an instant source of facts on every topic. They provide in-depth evidence. You may need patience and application to extract and understand it.
Last updated: Wednesday, 22 May 2013