Guest post by Lisa Stokes AG® Do you find genealogy source citations confusing, time-consuming, or just plain frustrating? You’re not alone! Initially, most genealogists feel frustrated, confused, and unsure of how to properly cite sources. I struggled with crafting citations until I learned essential punctuation guidelines and discovered a simple two-part citation system. The Importance of Citations in Genealogy Research It’s easy to treat citations as an afterthought when you’re intensely focused on chasing a...
Did you know you can have an automatic research log with Goldie May? Goldie May is a genealogy research assistant tool created by Richard Miller available for Chrome and Firefox. Essentially it is a browser extension that opens a sidebar to help you log your research-in-progress. The research log tool in Goldie May helps you manage projects and logs websites you visit. Not only does it create an automatic research log for you, tracking the...
Does the thought of making a source citation make you want to cry? Maybe you are more comfortable with citations but would like to make them more consistent within a written product. Try an automated source citation builder! I’ve been researching various types of automated citation tools and have found several great options that I’ll share in this series. In genealogical writing, we use two style guides: The Chicago Manual of Style and Evidence Explained by...
Do source citations continue to be a challenge for you? My colleague, Lisa Stokes AG, has developed a simplified method and course to help any level of genealogist. She shares her journey of discovering how to construct clear and consistent citations in this article. To learn more, see Lisa’s course description at Genealogy Source Citations Simplified, and follow her blog. Enjoy this fresh, new look at source citations! Diana By Lisa Stokes, AG Does crafting...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about Diana’s RLP with DNA study group project. She shares how she made a timeline for the hypothesized brother of Cynthia Dillard, Elijah Dillard. We discuss her Airtable timeline as well as citations and FANs. Part of the assignment is to analyze the sources in the timeline as well as the DNA sources. Using the Shared cM Project, Diana compares the proposed relationship with the shared...
If you’re like me and overwhelmed by DNA and this new wealth of information for genealogists, I am going through my experience with the Research Like a Pro with DNA e-course to help those looking for a way to get started! This is the third post in the series. The first two steps in the RLP with DNA process are discussed in Assess Your DNA Matches and Analyze Your Pedigree and Organize Your DNA Results...
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...
Have you thought about the steps to take to work through a DNA research project? Have you ever been stuck or lost during a project and wondered what you should do next? What do you do? I’ve thought about it a lot, and it motivated me to create DNA Process Trees that have a stepwise model/instructions/flowchart of the main steps to take when working through a DNA research objective. The steps help me maximize the...
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 EthicsWe value privacy in our...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about creating layered citations for images found on the four major genealogy websites: Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, and Findmypast. We discuss how to separate the digital layer from the physical layer, and the five elements of a source citation. We discuss what element to lead with and how to find the details you need to include. Links Peeling Back the Layers: Online Source Citations Part 1 – by...
