Wright had hundreds of informants ("correspondents") and borrowed from thousands of written sources, mainly glossaries published by the English Dialect Society in the later 19th century, but also many literary texts written in dialect. In contrast to most of his sources, Wright pursued a scholarly linguistic method, providing full evidence of his sources and antedating modes of grammatical analysis of the 20th century.
Wright's research was supported by hundreds of informants ("advisors") and he drew upon an extensive library of written materials, mainly glossaries published by the English Dialect Society in the late 19th century, as well as literary texts written in dialect. Unlike most researchers of his time, Wright used a rigorous and systematic approach, thoroughly documenting his sources and laying the foundation for future grammatical analysis.