This line is TRUE, Dr. Samuel Johnson compiled the first dictionary by using the historical method of research. This method consists of a process of systematically examining an account of what happened in the past, it involves an interpretation attempt to recapture the ideas that events. The use of primary sources is a main characteristic of this method. Johnson took eight years to compile this dictionary, with too many helpers, he had scoured books extending back to the 1500s, often quoting from those thought to be 'great works' like Milton or Shakespeare.