Astrid's Simple Steps to Citing Sources

ASTRID'S SIMPLE STEPS
By Astrid Terras 
2005 May 5
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1. KEEP TRACK
To "cite" your source basically just means you are keeping track 
of your ideas or quotes and where they came from. Trust me - it not 
only will help you years down the road, but it will bring you adoration 
and respect from the genealogical community, not to mention gratitude 
from your descendants or future cousins-many-times-removed. 

2. RECORD IT
Don't rely on your memory or anyone else's for "facts." 
Memory is a strange, wonderful, but surprisingly mysterious thing. 
One psychotherapist I know just calls memory a "construct" - 
something we construct or build that might best help us survive in life. 
My own diaries from forty years ago have proved to me that memory - 
what we remember, how we remember, and what do *not* remember - 
does not necessarily match what really happened in the physical world.
Therefore, don't rely on memories to remember where you found a source 
or where you found your tidbits of family information. Write it down 
instead!

3. IF NOT SURE, RECORD IT ANYWAY
Technically, we should cite every nugget of information we include 
in our research notes, in our photocopied pages, our printed pages, 
in our family trees, in our emails, on our webpages, and on and on. 
If it is common knowledge we do not need to cite it. Everything else 
should be. If not sure, record it... just in case.

4. ENJOY THE SLOWER PACE
It was difficult to start citing sources in the beginning, so I didn't.
It seemed easier to rush along, gather the photocopies and the printed 
pages, and hurry to get the family trees done, than it seemed to have 
to stop all the time to add notes or footnotes, citations, bibliographies, 
or other indications about where we got each page or each piece of information 
from. That is, it seemed easier until a few months later when I tried to 
get another photocopy or more information from the same source. Ouch!
What seemed fast at first, turned out to slow me down terribly later. 
Now I *try* (not always perfectly) to cite everything the first time. 
Experience has taught me what I do need to include and what isn't 
always necessary. See my Citation Rules!

5. ASK QUESTIONS
The journalists' questions help me know what to cite. I try to at least 
answer "Who, What, Where" and "When," but also sometimes "Why" and "How." 
Who created or passed on this piece of information? What is it? Where is it? 
And, When was it created or recorded? 

The "why" and "how" questions are sometimes more difficult to answer, 
but they can be the most interesting questions of all, if we know or 
can find the answer. We ask: "Why was this information or source created?" 
This question will teach us to search for motivations behind our actions -- 
teaching us to ask what is behind someone researching, counting, recording, 
writing, or even just saying something. We can't seem to do things or *not* 
do things without a motivation to act or not-act.

Asking "How was this information created?" can lead us to understanding 
more about the physical source, including its strengths and limitations. 
For example, understanding how census returns were created can help us 
appreciate how amazingly helpful these sources can be, but the same 
understanding can also help us know how errors easily crept in and how 
we can handle these errors.

If you just want to start getting into the habit of citing your sources,
ask yourself "who, what, where, and when"; but if you want a more 
fascinating life, also start asking "why" and "how."

Enjoy citing sources. Now, for a few simple rules...

These steps were based on my own personal research started in 
1999-2000 and my subsequent opinions about how Canadian and English 
genealogical sources might be included in citations, footnotes, and 
bibliographies. This project has turned into an ongoing labour of love, 
and I welcome your comments, opinions, or questions. 
Astrid Terras, E-mail: astrid@vianet.ca.

In addition, I am indebted to the following two authors, in particular:

Lackey, Richard S., F.A.S.G. Cite Your Sources: A Manual 
        for Documenting Family Histories and Genealogical Records. 
        New Orleans: Polyanthos, Inc., 1980.

	Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG, Evidence! Citation 
& Analysis for the Family Historian (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical 
Publishing Company, 1997).