Historians of rhetoric and composition need to be more explicit and specific about their investigative methods when reporting their research, states this author. This should be done in a systematic and incremental way that both highlights the uniqueness of archival study and creates the depth and breadth of knowledge required to begin generalizing about the tools the discipline needs and uses. Aside from modeling archival strategies for other researchers, a methods section allows the readers to evaluate the presented information and determine its trustworthiness and accuracy. (Contains 18 notes.)