This monograph is designed for students of the Faculty of History as an auxiliary material for lectures and practical classes in the academic discipline "Source Studies" in accordance with the curriculum and depending on the direction. It can also serve as a special guide for students, which contains certain theoretical information and attitudes that contribute to the effective assimilation of the passed material and the conduct of appropriate work on the study of the activities of prominent source scholars and historiographers of his time and the analysis of samples of their artistic and scientific creations.This monograph reveals the essence of source studies as a science, talks about the leading trends in the study of the original text, indicates the role of individual scholars in the formation and development of this scientific discipline.