Friday, March 23, 2007

Wisdom about Sources, Evidence and Documentation

I am a "geneaholic" when it comes to information about documentation, source citation and evaluating evidence. I just can't get enough of it. I have to collect it...and read it...try to absorb it...and try to apply it to my own research. I must admit that I usually fail - badly at times!

Richard A. Pence, a well-known and respected genealogist posting on the APG mailing list, provided a link to one of his web pages that provides wise guidance, and a little humor too, to the subject (copyrighted in 1998). The web page is titled "Understanding Sources, Citations, Documentation And Evaluating Evidence In Genealogy" and is at http://www.pipeline.com/~richardpence/classdoc.htm

While some of the discussion doesn't exactly follow the present standards for Source Citations (e.g., Elizabeth Shown Mills' book Evidence) or the Genealogy Proof Standard that has become the golden tablet for excellent genealogy research methodology, the article does promote critical thinking, especially with regards to how much documentation and source citation is required for a given project.

I have made this a Favorite on my computer so that I can revisit it when I'm faced with these types of issues in my own research.

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