tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post4753300025824796788..comments2024-03-07T23:20:49.790-07:00Comments on Genealogy's Star: How about common sense citations for genealogists?James Tannerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-91556214537889837752013-12-23T09:15:39.011-07:002013-12-23T09:15:39.011-07:00James, this is a great and thought-provoking post....James, this is a great and thought-provoking post. As a genealogy speaker, I have encountered people in all stages of research - from the very young to the very old. If I were to insist on a certain style with 10-12 year-olds, they may throw up their hands and quit, thinking it was just homework. Some teenagers may feel the same way. On the opposite end of the spectrum, those that are advanced in age may not want to mess with it either. Some of their information comes from "a bible record that is in possession of ___", or from their own recollections. I encourage them to write down where they got the information from so that it doesn't appear as just something they dreamed up or is legendary. We get as focused as we can. But, to insist that their information follows the proper genealogical citation guidelines might be more than they are willing to handle, or are able to handle. MissPeggy55https://www.blogger.com/profile/02742650350847848436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-76387069667396017072013-12-18T23:32:00.969-07:002013-12-18T23:32:00.969-07:00James,thanks for your common sense approach.James,thanks for your common sense approach.GeniAushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09074874999181040071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-89523374083346042522013-12-16T06:41:20.182-07:002013-12-16T06:41:20.182-07:00When I restarted doing genealogy five years ago I ...When I restarted doing genealogy five years ago I purchased The Master Genealogist to record my findings. With it you can record almost anything you want. I decided to record citations “right.” No easy task, because I could not find right in blogs, books, or examples. However along the way I think I picked up some general guidelines and with that decided on my own version of “right:” (1) Present enough information that someone else can find the same genealogical fact. (2) Be consistent in the presentations.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468383007083848034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-10887985014806975282013-12-16T01:25:06.734-07:002013-12-16T01:25:06.734-07:00That's certainly a major goal but not the &quo...That's certainly a major goal but not the "entire" goal Daniel. As well as plain attribution to some prior work, citations allow the reader to assess the strength of your assertions or reasoning by identifying the nature of source, and including any discursive notes when relevant.Tony Proctorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18330460400737261264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-2373069150833869322013-12-15T19:37:56.951-07:002013-12-15T19:37:56.951-07:00Even doing as little as who you got something from...Even doing as little as who you got something from and perhaps a weblink can help in doing citations. There's no right or wrong format unless you're publishing in some journal - and then, your genealogy software will do citation formatting for you and if you're writing in Microsoft Word or other such programs, there are built in citation formatting systems - you just fill in the blanks. <br /><br />A lot of the newer photos in my genealogy have "Photo taken by John Smith on his Facebook stream: [link]" so that I can keep track of where I got the file and can send someone else to find it if they need to.Crafting in Yoohoovillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08223824425648008880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-970659710098520662013-12-15T14:00:18.591-07:002013-12-15T14:00:18.591-07:00Silicon Computer Genealogy Group (www.svcgg.org) h...Silicon Computer Genealogy Group (www.svcgg.org) has a booklet available called "Family History Documentation Guidelines" Even though published about 10 yrs ago, it has good information and Source Examples. For what it's worth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-24747794313469111222013-12-15T10:00:29.133-07:002013-12-15T10:00:29.133-07:00Your last paragraphs would have sufficed. The ent...Your last paragraphs would have sufficed. The entire goal of citation is to allow later readers to find the original source if so inclined. How you do it is nowhere near as important as doing it at all. Legibility is nice.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15407854481964964535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-55440365380204174382013-12-15T08:18:45.007-07:002013-12-15T08:18:45.007-07:00Good ideas. I think there is a definite middle gro...Good ideas. I think there is a definite middle ground. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-37172099389323489192013-12-15T07:40:21.362-07:002013-12-15T07:40:21.362-07:00I most genealogists when they first start seriousl...I most genealogists when they first start seriously using citations would like a quick-reference list – only to find that even Evidence Explained (EE) doesn’t cover everything. It is still nice to see some examples but it doesn’t take long to realise that many sources do not fit the “perfect” cases used in those example. Maybe you have a dubious copy of something that is out-of-print, or a copy of something that was intended to be published but never made it, or you have comments about the impartiality or integrity of some author, etc. Discursive notes can be as important as the main parts of a citation. Too many people get hung-up on the punctuation and assume a citation is formulaic. I seem to recall Mills saying in EE that citations are an art rather than a science, or something to that effect.Tony Proctorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18330460400737261264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-87137620111323224832013-12-15T07:03:50.978-07:002013-12-15T07:03:50.978-07:00I have to agree with your answer write so you can ...I have to agree with your answer write so you can find it again. When I first started in 2008 I did not write things down and now I wonder where did I find that.Claudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02714440790407126206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-65579941250324353642013-12-14T21:54:42.543-07:002013-12-14T21:54:42.543-07:00Thanks, sometimes simple works best. Thanks, sometimes simple works best. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-76630728283002377332013-12-14T21:53:59.868-07:002013-12-14T21:53:59.868-07:00I wasn't really serious. Thanks for the commen...I wasn't really serious. Thanks for the comment. Both books are extremely useful if you need them. James Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02989059644120454647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-34049955087402526072013-12-14T20:49:14.557-07:002013-12-14T20:49:14.557-07:00The easiest creator of citiation has to be one ins...The easiest creator of citiation has to be one inside Ancestral Quest. I use the feature to create one for each general source. Not sure if that's Turabian style or not.SAMPUBCOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15936613739966936559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1527613590529958801.post-37446283147490077402013-12-14T20:10:51.467-07:002013-12-14T20:10:51.467-07:00The Chicago Manual of Style has more pages because...The Chicago Manual of Style has more pages because it covers topics other than citation. In fact, it has *far* fewer pages that Evidence Explained specifically about citation, but a great number of pages having to do with such topics as manuscript preparation, grammar, punctuation, and so forth. The two books aren't seriously comparable. Drew Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12537180168534039546noreply@blogger.com