To Trust or Not to Trust: Archival Records and Measuring Researchers’ Confidence in Them

Abstract

Purpose: In his 1996 work, Archive Fever, philosopher Jacques Derrida offered the Greek term arkhe as meaning, in part, the concept of commandment. As such, he posited that those persons who manage archival records are duty-bound or commanded to secure them so completely that the information they hold would remain authentic, credible, and with integrity. The aim was (and is) to instill confidence in those who consult archival records as being carriers of trustworthy information. Thirty years later, the theme of the 2026 ‘It’s About People’ Conference was, ‘Answering Current Challenges in Society, Health and Technology.’ Regarding one challenge in today’s archival science enterprise-that being the measure of confidence in the validity of information contained within archival records-I administered a survey of researchers and analyzed its results. My purpose was to quantitatively determine and/or measure if researchers can not only trust but also have confidence in the evidence espoused via archival records that purport to accurately represent past human experience.

Method / Approach: In order to fulfill the purpose of this research, I implemented both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. I conducted a scientific literature review and developed and distributed a survey; then, I analyzed the results. I was aided in my efforts regarding the survey’s development by Associate Professor Dr. Nadja Plazar, Alma Mater Europaea University (Maribor, SLOVENIA). I appreciate Prof. Dr. Plazar’s kind input and immense expertise.

Results: The survey responses revealed researchers who are generally experienced archival users. They have moderately high confidence in archival records and overwhelmingly reject the idea that archives tell only one story. They strongly believe that the same records can support multiple interpretations and simultaneously believe that researchers have an ethical obligation to represent the past authentically. Trust in archives is substantial, but trust is directed more toward the records themselves and professional archival practices than toward the completeness of the historical record.

Conclusions / Findings: While the results of my survey should be interpreted as exploratory and descriptive rather than generalizable to all archival users, due to a limited number of respondents, themes emerged worth investigating. The dominant theme from my research is that archival records are generally trustworthy, but interpretation is inherently subjective and influenced by context, bias, missing evidence, and researcher perspective. Survey respondents exhibited substantial confidence in archival authenticity and evidential value while simultaneously recognizing that archival records may support multiple legitimate interpretations. Trust and interpretive plurality are not perceived as contradictory; rather, trustworthy records provide the evidentiary foundation upon which multiple interpretations may be responsibly constructed.