Video guides

Quick video guides about our records, your research and the documents you’ll find at The National Archives.

Finding records in other organisations

Learn how to find records in other archives.

How detailed is the catalogue?

Understand how to use catalogue descriptions.

How the records are arranged

Understand how records are arranged to help save you time and make your research more productive.

Ordering documents

Find out how to copy, order and view the documents held by The National Archives and how to access popular records online.

Preparing for your visit

Forward planning to help you get the most out of your visit.

Preparing to research

Find out where to look when you first start your research, and how to assemble and organise your findings to get better results.

Recording research results

Discover how to record all your results effectively so that you can find useful information again in the future.

Research routes

How to map out your research trail.

Starting your research

Where to go to find the information you need.

The life of a document

Discover more about the journeys our documents have made before reaching The National Archives and how they may be useful for many different types of research today.