Also a very good and valid question, this has an answer I would hope many homeschools would put to use! We do not study our information from one source, but from many reliable sources. Whether information for a description on a timeline figure, or a lesson on a Time Traveler, we strive to utilize several sources, preferably from a Christian viewpoint. Here are some tips for doing research which we believe to be very important:

1) Try to include sources as close as possible to the original time period. For example, if you are studying about the fall of Jerusalem, read works written by Josephus as he was there and wrote about what he saw. Autobiographies are better than books written by others about a person, especially if the biography was written much later than his or her time. Some of this stems from the rewriting of history, which is shocking and very disheartening! The enemy is at work trying to eliminate every reference of God and His Providence from history! It is sad to see the founding fathers being misrepresented in modern writings and that children today are learning of them with distorted perceptions! The writings of the men and women themselves and those who lived at the time are full of quotes and references to their faith in an active and participatory God, rather than as deists which many of them are unfortunately described as today.

Whether an accurate or inaccurate view on a subject, bear in mind number 2.

2) Everybody has a bias. Even Josephus had a bias. He was writing under direction from the Roman Emporer--his view I'm sure would be MUCH different than if a persecuted Jew had written an account of the incident! Even an autobiography will have a bias, as a person can reflect his own thoughts, but can paint them as he sees them--perhaps not the same way others would see him! I'm sure if Queen Elizabeth had a published diary of her actions, it would be a bit different account than what Mary Queen of Scots would've written about her.

3) Try to access at least three valid sources: And "Wikipedia" doesn't count! (Wikipedia is added to by the public and is generally not validated.) If studying about a particular person, try to get an autobiography, and two trustworthy additional writings. In doing this, you are bound to see similarities and possibly differences in the writings. When you see information repeated throughout the other sources, you can pretty well assume it is trustworthy. If you are doing your searching on the internet, beware of personal and informal websites where information may be incorrect or based on assumption. Some will be intended to relay factual information, while others will tend to have an underlying agenda based on a judgement of the topic -- the latter is not bad; you simply need to be aware of which type it is. Always double check dates and facts, as typos can occur on even the more reliable encyclopedic online resources.

Have you heard the saying "The victor of the war writes the history"? It is very true! Let's take The Civil War as an example. Growing up in the North, schools here taught of the "upright North" and the "naughty South" and boasted that the war was based on slavery. However, reading and research in my later years caused me to find that there was much more than slavery alone as the cause for secession. With this revelation came a "distrust" of much of what I came to read after that. I felt information had been withheld and it wasn't fair! That was the same way I felt when I learned of all the information which supported Creation rather than evolution, and it was not being released in our school years--we were guiled into believing what was presented to us and that was all.

How do we resolve this issue? First, I had to realize that I didn't need to have such a contempt for all that I read, but a reasonable dose of skepticism that reminded me that every author had a bias -- and possibly a hidden agenda -- and may not be fully accurate. 

If there are resources available, make sure to try and find ones that approach the topic from more than one side. Here is one example: Let's say the topic is Stonewall Jackson. Biographies abound regarding this amazing man and his military exploits and leadership qualities, but how about the view of his personal side from a soldier who was on Jackson's staff? You might want to read, "I Rode with Stonewall" by Henry Kyd Douglas, written from his collection of diaries and notes made during the war.

In a nutshell, bear in mind that writings are created by people--and as flawed as we all are, we must be wise in accepting information as truth. This develops discernment that will help in accessing even modern writings and news media. The only source that has always offered full credibility is, and always will be, the Bible!

---

Do you accept product returns?

---

Returns of unopened materials are accepted within 30 days of purchase -- refunds will exclude shipping costs and will incur a 15% restocking fee.