![\"Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet\"](\"http:\/\/lh5.ggpht.com\/-230R8Er_k38\/UQnzd4RU0fI\/AAAAAAAAHv0\/iS7gMfsvwpU\/Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet5.jpg?imgmax=800\" "\\"Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet\\"")
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For 26 weeks I will take you on a family history journey through the alphabet, one letter at a time.\u00a0 I have decided that each post will be educational in nature, focusing on topics related to resources, methodology, tools, etc.\u00a0 Although the challenge is complete, there are still some people who are finishing up and Alona, the host, is encouraging others to participate anyway.\u00a0 Additional information on the challenge, can be found at <\/em>Take the \u2018Family History Through the Alphabet\u2019 Challenge<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In Evidence Explained<\/em><\/a>, Elizabeth Shown Mills defines citations as \u201cstatements in which we identify our source or sources for a particular assertion.\u201d1<\/sup> In other words, when we state a \u201cfact\u201d or draw a \u201cconclusion,\u201d we need to reference the source(s) that led us to that fact or conclusion. For example, if we are looking at a 1900 census that lists a person of interest residing in Chicago, Illinois, that census should be cited as a source for residence fact\/event.<\/p>\n Truth be told, when I first started out, I didn\u2019t cite a darn thing.\u00a0 I borrowed from this or that tree, entered data from compiled genealogies, and stripped the facts from records I had in my possession.\u00a0 When I started, I just wanted to know how the heck I was related to Noah Webster (the father of the dictionary) and that was it.\u00a0 I was on a mission and I really didn\u2019t care how I got the answer\u2026I just wanted an answer.<\/p>\n Then I learned about a little thing called a citation.\u00a0 This term was not foreign to me as writing and research were a part of my by-day profession.\u00a0 But for some reason, I never thought to connect that concept with genealogy.\u00a0 So I began to create \u201ccitations\u201d in my handy-dandy genealogy program.\u00a0 This was before these programs had source writing capabilities based off of Evidence Explained<\/em>, which at the time I was also oblivious to.\u00a0 And wouldn\u2019t you know, I wasn\u2019t doing it right.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not talking about structure, or putting commas in the right place.\u00a0 I mean flat-out, my \u201ccitations\u201d didn\u2019t deserve such a term and unfortunately, these crap-tations are still floating around in my database).\u00a0 I\u2019m serious\u2026they were crap.\u00a0 I mean \u201cUS Census,\u201d seriously?\u00a0 Sure, I could look at a residence event and figure out which year and place, but beyond that, I had no other identifying information for the census record.\u00a0 My favorite crap-tation has got to be \u201cRelative\u2019s Obituary.\u201d\u00a0 That narrows it down, doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0 And the more I struggled with trying to figure out what record a crap-tation referred, the more I realized that there had to be a better way.<\/p>\n Enter Evidence Explained<\/em>, the \u201cpreferred\u201d method of citing sources in genealogy-land.\u00a0 Boy did it make a heck of a difference.\u00a0 As I update those crap-tations periodically, still to this day, I pull out my hair trying to figure which of the five known dead relatives this \u201cRelative\u2019s Obituary\u201d refers to.\u00a0 I basically had to do the research all over, which in many cases meant re-finding the source and this time obtaining a copy (digital or hardcopy).\u00a0 The frustration of this ongoing task makes me write proper and coherent citations at the time I enter any data into my database or documents I\u2019m using for evidence analysis purposes.\u00a0 My sad story alone should be enough to encourage you to start out on the right foot from the beginning (or start now and fix periodically).\u00a0 But if it hasn\u2019t, I have a few more reasons why it\u2019s important to cite your sources.<\/p>\n As I mentioned earlier, when it comes to citing sources, Evidence Explained<\/em> is considered the go-to resource for handling the structure of a citation related to genealogy research.\u00a0 But, it\u2019s not so much about what element goes where and if you use a comma or semi-colon; it\u2019s more about recording enough information about the source to 1) enable others to evaluate the information for themselves, and 2) enable others (and you!) to locate the source.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at those two reasons, which will illustrate why citations are important.<\/p>\n Enable Others to Evaluate the Information for Themselves<\/strong><\/p>\n If you prepare a research article or case study, a book, a website, an online family tree, or even if you just share part of your genealogy database with other researchers, others need to know where you got your information so they can evaluate your assertions.\u00a0 For example, I\u2019m a little leery of research that only<\/em> uses derivative sources, such as indexes and abstracts.\u00a0 This is not to say that these resources are poor quality, but the chance of introducing errors during the indexing or abstracting process is high.\u00a0 And to be quite frank, these are really considered finding aids to locate the original record.\u00a0 Granted, sometimes tracking down the original is difficult for various reasons, but you should always try secure it whenever possible.<\/p>\n Additionally, especially when an index is used as a source, there is a greater chance of snatching up the wrong person.\u00a0 Typically, indexes do not contain enough information to help discern whether you have the right person or not (heck, sometimes the actual record doesn\u2019t contain enough information either!).\u00a0 So mistaken identity tends to happen when only indexes are consulted.<\/p>\n And before you ask, yes, I myself have cited an index as a resource (and still do under certain circumstances).\u00a0 Depending on the index, if I feel comfortable that I have the right person, I will put the information in my database and cite the index.\u00a0 But I also include in the citation notes the finding information, such as volume\/page number or certificate number (as an FYI for me, but I suppose it\u2019s helpful to others).\u00a0 I also add a to-do item to my list to obtain the original.\u00a0 I cite the index because sometimes I just don\u2019t have access to or the money for the records at that point in time, as I\u2019m sure many of you can relate.\u00a0 I only do this for what I consider \u201cless critical\u201d research, where I\u2019m not particularly focused on a specific person but some of their details are helpful with the research of someone I am focused on.\u00a0 If I do become focused on the person, or find that their information is crucial to furthering my research of someone else, then I begin to seek out the originals.\u00a0 And since I\u2019ve created to-do items that tell me where to get the record and how to locate it, it\u2019s a fairly painless task.<\/p>\n So now that I\u2019ve written a side post about indexes, let me get back to the point.\u00a0 People need to be able to see what sources you have used for a particular fact\/event so they can evaluate for themselves whether they agree with your assertion or feel that additional research may be needed.\u00a0 If they see a census index being used instead of the actual census record, they may agree with the assertion to an extent, but they may want to follow up themselves with a thorough investigation of the actual census records.\u00a0 The other reason it\u2019s important for people to see what sources you have used is so they can go to the original to have a look for themselves and\/or obtain a copy for their own files.\u00a0 This of course leads into the next topic\u2026<\/p>\n Enable Others (and You!) to Locate the Source<\/strong><\/p>\n Many researchers will want to view and\/or obtain a copy of the source themselves.\u00a0 This is not because they don\u2019t trust you, it\u2019s just that they want to give due diligence to their own research.\u00a0 They want to be able to review the source(s) and draw their own conclusions.<\/p>\n In other instances, the focus of your research may be on one particular individual, while another researcher is interested in a sibling or another family member.\u00a0 So they may want to consult the sources you used in order to see what information they might find on the individual they are researching.<\/p>\n And, as I explained in my personal story earlier, you want to be able to find the record again for yourself.\u00a0 There may be times when you forgot to make a copy of a record or you\u2019ve simply lost or misplaced a record.\u00a0 If you recorded a citation, you will have no problem obtaining that record again.\u00a0 But if you didn\u2019t record the source, you may have to traipse through databases, digital images, card catalogs, or finding aids to track down that record again.\u00a0 For example, let\u2019s say I lost the death certificate for my great-grandfather.\u00a0 When I look at my list of citation for his death event\/fact, I can see that I had gotten the death certificate at the Illinois State Archives, and I even know the death certificate number and which film it was on.\u00a0 No problem.\u00a0 I can get that record again, and I didn\u2019t have to search indexes to find the information and then figure out where I could obtain the record\u2014everything was already recorded.<\/p>\n I hope that you can see why it\u2019s important to record your sources, even if you\u2019re just doing genealogy for fun.\u00a0 Even before I got serious about my research, I had put my tree on Ancestry as a private tree.\u00a0 I would get emails asking about this person or that person and I had to write back and tell them that I have some information but I have no idea where it came from or if it was even correct\u2026that was embarrassing.\u00a0 Not only was it embarrassing, I felt terrible that they had wasted their time emailing me and I couldn\u2019t help them.\u00a0 So, beginner or not, citations are one concept I hope you\u2019ll take to heart.\u00a0 I promise it will be beneficial to you and others in the long run.<\/p>\n For more information on citing your sources, as well as evidence analysis, I encourage you to purchase a copy of Mill\u2019s book Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace<\/a> <\/em>(yes, it\u2019s pricey, but it\u2019s well worth it).\u00a0 You can save a little money and purchase the electronic version<\/a> (I personally like the hard copy, I\u2019ve got notes written all over it and sticky-tabs sticking out from every which way!\u00a0 But whatever floats your boat, or your pocketbook.)\u00a0 And don\u2019t forget to check out the Evidence Explained website<\/a> for more tips\u2014you can even participate in the very-active forum<\/a> and ask and answer questions related to citations, evidence analysis, and records.<\/p>\n Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n 1.\u00a0 Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace<\/em>, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007), 42.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For 26 weeks I will take you on a family history journey through the alphabet, one letter at a time.\u00a0 I have decided that each post will be educational in nature, focusing on topics related to resources, methodology, tools, etc.\u00a0 Although the challenge is complete, 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\n![\"c\"](\"http:\/\/lh5.ggpht.com\/-RUkkKm3q6Yc\/UQnzeDNf37I\/AAAAAAAAHv8\/FmGQgDzPYMs\/c4.jpg?imgmax=800\" "\\"c\\"")
This week I\u2019d like to talk about citations and their importance in genealogy and family history research.\u00a0 This post is not going to be a crash course in how to cite your sources.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be more about the reasons why you should cite your sources, even if you are just a casual genealogist.<\/p>\n
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