Research Tips
Here is some information about the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to keep in mind when doing archival research:
- The National Archives is organized differently than a library and does not function like one.
- Records in NARA belong to the Federal Government.
- Records in NARA are arranged by record groups.
- Each record group comprises the records of a major Federal Government entity.
- The records of one entity are kept distinct from those of another.
- Records are kept in the same order in which they were created.
- The earliest records held by NARA date from the First Continental Congress, (c. 1774)
- Records are housed in facilities all across the country, with the majority in the Washington, DC, area.
- There are billions of records in paper, picture, map, film and electronic form.
- One cubic foot of records is equal to about 2,500 pages.
- Finding aids are research tools created to provide information about records and their location.
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We have student activities designed to help you navigate the National Archives and Records Administration Web site resources.
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Getting Started with Research How to start researching records at the National Archives. Finding your topic, identifying records, planning a visit, and more.