Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about creating reference note citations for your genealogical sources. In this fifth part of our revisiting the Research Like a Pro steps series, we discuss crafting citations the first time you look at a source and saving that in your research log (which we will discuss next week). Following your research plan, creating citations, and research logging all happen simultaneously. Tune in to hear more about the five elements of a source citations – who, what, when, where is, where in, and some common questions people have about them. Links Nancy (Briscoe)...
Imagine reading a genealogical article and discovering that your name has been published along with your DNA information and conclusions about your ancestors. How would you feel? How would you react? Some people may not mind if their private information is published. In contrast, others – probably a majority – don’t appreciate their names, parents’ names, grandparents’ names, etc., published for anyone to see. It is about privacy and ethics. Privacy and Ethics We value privacy in our DNA test results. We want DNA testing companies to safeguard our information and protect it from the granted exposure without our permission....
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is a celebration of our 100th episode! We are excited to share our top ten tips about how to research like a pro. We put the list together based on the questions we are most commonly asked in study groups and in our Facebook group. Listen in to find out more about objectives, timelines, locality guides, hypotheses, researching in phases, layered citations, multiple pages in a research log, and getting your report done. Links NGS Virtual Conference Family Locket NGS Sale – Coupon code NGS2020 Peeling Back the Layers: Online Source Citations Part...
Genealogy Standard #28 states, “Genealogists attach citations to images and printouts.”[1] This is to ensure that a record will never be without its citation, but what is the best way to do this? I have tried a few different approaches with varying degrees of success, but then I tried Canva, a free online publishing tool that makes it possible to “design anything and publish anywhere.” I had been using Canva for several years to create everything from social media graphics to ancestor collages. Once I decided to try using Canva to add citations to my record images, I haven’t looked...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about how to create DNA source citations. We will discuss the importance of citing and saving DNA information, the citation elements described in Genealogy Standard #5, and how to cite DNA matches and tools using this formula. We give several examples of what each element could be, from the DNA testing company name, to the details about an mtDNA haplogroup. Join us to learn about how to create citations in your DNA research. Links DNA Source Citations by Robin at Family Locket – includes the table with the 5 elements and...
Are you ever frustrated while writing citations? Many people are! Learning about a simplified formula for citations can lift the frustration and bring calm to an essential part of genealogical research. In a previous blog post, DNA Sources, Information, and Evidence: Sorting it All Out, I wrote that you are a source—you share your DNA with a testing company. The DNA testing company extracts DNA from the saliva, or the cheek swab you sent back to the testing company by mail. Your DNA goes through the process of genotyping, which identifies the genetic variants you have. Next, the company compares...
In our podcast episode today, Diana and I discuss how to apply the genealogical proof standard (GPS) as you work in collaborative trees – specifically the FamilySearch Family Tree. We talk about each element of the GPS and how you implement it with small changes in the way you add reason statements, sources, and additional explanations about your research to the tree. Links How to Improve the FamilySearch Family Tree with the Genealogical Proof Standard – post by Diana and Family Locket Genealogy Standards, 2nd Edition – affiliate link to Amazon.com Information about the Genealogical Proof Standard on the Ethics...
I have been studying citations for my Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) virtual class, Intermediate Foundations. Sara Scribner, CG, is our wonderful instructor. She gave us a suggested reading list about citations. I studied a few different articles by Tom Jones and Melinde Lutz Byrne, along with some parts of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills, to understand how to cite online images. One (relatively) new way is to use waypoints, or steps to take to get to a specific image. In this article, I’ll discuss the purpose of citations and when you might want to use waypoints in a citation....
Today’s podcast episode is about source citations. We’ll discuss when you need to make citations, how to do it, and the questions to ask that will guide you as you create them: who, what, when, where within, and where in the world. If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of making source citations you’re not alone. Nicole tells about her experience really learning how to do it. Diana will tell us about layered source citations, and we’ll also talk about the difference between reference notes and source list entries. To sign up for the Research Like a Pro eCourse, click...
Have you ever saved a web address, commonly known as the URL, only to discover later that the web page no longer exists? What about a website that you had used many times and now can’t locate? This can be annoying in normal life. In genealogical research it can be catastrophic. Losing access to a website that included crucial information about your family is a worst case scenario, especially if you didn’t record the information. In my Rootstech presentation on source citations I mentioned the importance of adding the access date for a website so that it could be located...
