Steps on how to keep a time-saving paper trail by documenting citations, footnotes, and bibliographies properly:
| Citation Models for Canada | Citation Models for the UK | |
| Simple Steps to Citing Sources | Simple Rules for Citing Sources | |
| Broad Citations | Stacey Citations |
| Broad | Cairns | Häkkinen | Linde | |
| Newberry | Newstead | Stacey | Terras |
Go to the new Stacey and Newberry Family Database at GeoCities, generated by the Personal Ancestral File.
Click here: Go to the Stacey Database
Forms, Logs, and Checklists:
Astrid's Check-List for English Research
When "official" source doesn't necessarily mean "original" source:
Thoughts about the terms "original" and "derivative"!
New or experienced in genealogy -- visit Astrid's webpages about "Armchair Genealogy":
Astrid's Introduction to Armchair Genealogy
When I create my genealogy and family history pages, I am always hoping to reach out and find long-lost relatives. However, it is possible that errors creep in and therefore I am grateful for feedback when readers question anything.
In the meantime, here are a few comments about the standards of research and analysis to which I am trying to aim in my genealogy and family history work.
In 1997, the Board of Certification of Genealogists (USA) determined that the `Genealogical Proof Standard` (GPS) was to replace the `Preponderance of Evidence` (POE) as the accepted standard in creating a solid case in genealogy. Basically, our genealogical research should go through the following five-step process:
1. Have we been `reasonably exhaustive` in the research we have undertaken?
2. Have we included complete and accurate citations?
3. Did we analyse and correlate the evidence?
4. Were there any conflicts and, if so, were these conflicts resolved?
5. Is our written conclusion coherent and based on sound reasoning?
Step 3, above, means that each piece of evidence or information is carefully scrutinised. For example, it should be noted that not all information on an official document is necessarily of equal quality. The death information on a death registration might be the most trustworthy if the informant was the physician who was present at death, but (unless the informant was present at the birth of the deceased person) the birth information might not be accurate and is sometimes even completely faulty. The same can be even more true for an unofficial source, such as an obituary or a gravestone.
Therefore, the first part of the third step of the research process -- analysis -- includes determining whether the evidence if direct or indirect, whether the information is primary or secondary, and whether the source is original or a derivative. These different methods of scrutinising our sources help us understand where each piece of evidence came from and how truthful it is likely to be. After we have come to better understand our sources, we correlate the collection of information and see how it adds up. Creating timelines of the key individuals will often point us to potential conflicts or to reasonable conclusions.
BCG Genealogical Standards Manual. Published by the Board of Certification of Genealogists, this manual is a standards handbook.
Genealogical Standards of the National Genealogical Society (Arlington, VA)
The Association of Professional Genealogists' (APG) Code of Ethics
Christine Rose, CG, CGL, FASG, Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case (San Jose, California: Rose Family Association, 2001). This is an invaluable 24-page booklet recommended by the National Institute for Genealogical Studies (Canada). ISBN 0-929626-12-5.
RootsWeb || Cyndi's List - an online classic || National Institute for Genealogical Studies || Ancestry.com - charts & forms || FamilySearch: Research Guidance v2.0 (charts and forms) || Deciphering Old Handwriting || The WorldGenWeb Project || My GenForum || The Olive Tree Genealogy || The Soo's Links ||
National Archives of Canada - Genealogy Research || NA - Federal Census of 1871 (Ontario Index) || Archives of Ontario - Genealogical Research || Bill Martin's "Early Ontario Records" || Bill Martin's "Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms" - Ira Reed, transcriber || Canada411: Find a Person, Find a Business || Census of Canada, 1901 || How Canadians Govern Themselves || County Atlas Digital Project || Introduction to the Government of Canada Official Web Site || Toronto Public Library: Home Page || Winter Driving - Be Prepared, Be Safe! || The Official Road Map of Ontario Online! || The Weather Network || Ontario Genealogical Society || Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid (OCFA) || Ontario Locator || OntarioGenWeb's Ontario Census Project || Canada GenWeb ||
Devon Record Office || FreeBMD Home Page || Genuki: UK and Ireland Genealogy || Ordering Birth Registration Certificate from England or Wales || The 1901 Census Website || FamilySearch - Education || The Genealogical Society of Finland || Veli Häkkinen: Sukututkimuksia (in Finnish) ||