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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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....
I wish I were in Salt Lake City! Diana is attending SLIG, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, this week and I’m feeling left out. SLIG is a week-long advanced genealogical education conference sponsored by the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA). She is taking Course 13: A Practical Approach: Establishing Genealogical Proof with DNA. You can read more about it here -scroll down to the section about Course 13. To see what Diana is learning at SLIG this...
Have you ever completed a genealogy research project from the beginning to end? From objective to report? I just completed one and I want to share what I learned. I did the project for our Research Like a Pro study group. I wasn’t planning to join the group at first – I thought I would just help in the background with whatever Diana needed. She developed the idea for the study group and was finishing...
September 2024: The Research Ties program mentioned in this blog post is no longer available. How do you keep track of the numerous websites, books, microfilms, and other sources you might consult in your genealogy research? Do you only print or save links to the sources you found? What do you do when you don’t find anything in a database? Learning to keep a research log and use source citations is the next step...
Have you ever wondered why you are asked to type a reason statement every time you change information or add a source to the FamilySearch (FS) Family Tree? Are you a genealogist frustrated with the collaborative aspect of FS Family Tree because others can change your information? If so, read on. I teach a beginner’s class during Sunday School in my LDS ward with people from all parts of the genealogy world: teens and adults...