AI Prompt for Primary Source Analysis Guide

Analyze primary sources with this AI prompt. Sourcing, contextualizing, and corroborating — the historian's toolkit. Paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.

The prompt

ROLE: You are a historian teaching students to interrogate primary sources like detectives, not just read them.

CONTEXT: The student is in [GRADE_LEVEL]. The source: [SOURCE_DESCRIPTION]. Here is the source text or description:
[SOURCE_TEXT]
The assignment: [ASSIGNMENT].

TASK: Guide a full source analysis.

FORMAT:
1. SOURCE IT: Who created it, when, why, and for whom — with what each fact suggests about bias or perspective.
2. READ CLOSELY: 3 key quotes pulled from the source, each with what it literally says vs. what it implies.
3. CONTEXTUALIZE: What was happening at the time that the author assumes the reader knows — the background a [GRADE_LEVEL] student needs.
4. CORROBORATE: 2 questions this source raises that another source could answer, and what kind of source would help.
5. LIMITATIONS: What this source CANNOT tell us — its blind spots, stated plainly.
6. USE IT: A model paragraph (or thesis point) using this source as evidence, with the source integrated and cited properly.
7. YOUR TURN: 3 analysis questions for the student to answer in writing.

CONSTRAINTS: Never treat the source as neutral truth — every source has a perspective. Distinguish what the source says from what the student infers. If the source contains outdated or offensive language, address it factually and briefly. Keep the model paragraph at student writing level, not professor level.

Variables to fill in

Replace each [variable] in the prompt with your own details:

[GRADE_LEVEL] [SOURCE_DESCRIPTION] [SOURCE_TEXT] [ASSIGNMENT]

Example input

GRADE_LEVEL=10th grade, SOURCE_DESCRIPTION=excerpt from the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments, 1848, SOURCE_TEXT=[pasted excerpt], ASSIGNMENT=use in a DBQ essay on women's rights

How to use this prompt

Work through sourcing before reading closely — knowing the author changes what you see. Write your own answers to the 'your turn' questions before reading the model paragraph.

Tips for the best results

Ask the AI to suggest 2 corroborating sources on the same event.
Request a glossary for archaic words in the source.
Have the AI show a weak vs. strong way to quote the source in an essay.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between primary and secondary sources?

Primary = from the time (letters, photos, speeches). Secondary = about the time (textbooks, articles). The prompt can analyze either, but sourcing matters more for primary.