One of the most difficult things to do when researching and tracking your ancestry, is correctly citing your sources.  I admit, that I frequently skipped this step in my early days and then stepped up and cited my sources, but incorrectly.

When I decided to write my family history book last year, I knew I needed correctly sourced material.  I did some research and found that the ‘bible’ of citing resources by genealogists is Evidence Explained:Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace 2nd Edition by Elizabeth Shown Mills. I ordered the book and can honestly say I am happy I did. This is a reference book. Although I took the time to read the first two chapters (recommended), I refer to examples as needed.

There are several different Citation Style Choices.  I’ve listed the styles below if you’d like more information on styles.  Evidence Explained is rooted in the The Chicago Manual of Style.

Why Correctly Citing Sources is Important?

The purpose of correctly citing your ‘evidence’ is so that you and/or someone else can know exactly what and where the source is. Keeping in mind that not all sources are created equal.  Some are more reliable than others. Knowing the source allows anyone reviewing your work to know exactly where the information came from and the strength or weakness of that source.

Some of the information provided on family trees is incorrect.  Mostly newbies, but even more experienced users, will frequently copy information from other trees assuming it’s correct or planning to verify it later. I myself am guilty of this transgression in my early days of genealogy research. Consequently, this propagates errors and it goes on and on and on… By correctly citing your sources, your work becomes credible. By all means look at those other trees, they may have really valuable information and leads, but hold back on copying the information until you have ‘proven’ it’s correct.