Separate a source from the story built around it

A source and the story built from it should remain distinguishable. Keep a route back to the original evidence when writing about an object.

Copy the source reference accurately and record the passage or feature that matters. Preserve the date, author and context where available. A later summary can be useful, but it should not silently replace a document you have not read. Mark second-hand references as such.

Build the interpretation beside it

Write what the source directly supports, then the inference you are considering. A receipt may establish a transaction without proving the buyer used the object. A photograph may show an item in a room without explaining how long it stayed there.

Look for evidence that could change the interpretation, not only material that repeats it. If sources conflict, record the disagreement and the basis for preferring one account, if you have a basis. Avoid smoothing the conflict into a single precise sentence.

Use quotations only where necessary and within applicable permissions and law. Keep your own notes clearly labelled so they cannot later be mistaken for the original wording. This separation makes a readable story stronger. Readers can see which parts rest on records and which parts remain a reasoned, revisable account of what those records might mean.