| Why Cite Sources |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Tuesday, 23 September 2008 15:48 |
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Why we cite sources of our work. If I trust my cousin or other relative is that not good reliable information? One of the most difficult concepts of family research to accept is the importance of citing sources and how to record sources.
A citation is the source you used to obtain the information, not your cousin (unless you are citing your cousin as the actual source) or the information you copied from a host of websites on Ancestry dot com, then Ancestry dot com is the source.Do not rely on hearsay. It is only a source once you have witnessed and seen documents for yourself. Example: If a cousin or relative tells you the information about a death came from a death certificate, that source belongs to the person telling you it exists. This would make the cousin or the relative the source of your information, thus your source is hearsay. For you to list the document as the source, you must visually see and document it or have been provided with a scanned copy to document. Reliable document sources can be government documents, newspapers, books (published and unpublished), personal letters, Oral interviews, Photos, technology such as websites and CDs as well as many other examples as long as they are cited correctly. Learning to be more disciplined in our research will make the process much more enjoyable as well as more reliable. Documentation is essential if you are to have any hope of finding your next reliable clues. One of the most knowledgeable genealogists in America, Helen Leary, says sharing your work without citing your sources is like sending it out in the world naked. Unless you are able to tell others or cite your sources correctly as to where you acquired the information, your hard work is only a very weak opinion. Your reputation as a genealogist or family researcher is based on how well you record your sources. It is therefore essential to establish the credibility of your work by documenting where the information came from. When you cite a record, you are declaring you have seen this record personally not taken someone else's word the record exists and states what you have recorded. Remember, what someone else tells you is hearsay until you have seen the evidence. Next article will be more on examples of what each source is and how to cite your sources by type. |
| Last Updated ( Sunday, 28 September 2008 22:34 ) |
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