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Having found one or more records about a person, it is time to evaluate what you found and determine how helpful and reliable it is. | Having found one or more records about a person, it is time to evaluate what you found and determine how helpful and reliable it is. | ||
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== '''Relevance of the Record''' == | |||
The first evaluation to make is whether the record pertains to the person or family being searched. | |||
== '''Category of the Record''' == | |||
Each category of records has to be evaluated differently. Some tend to be more accurate than others. | |||
=== '''''Original records''''' === | |||
Original records tend to be more accurate than compiled records. | |||
=== '''''Compiled records''''' === | |||
Compiled records tend to be easier to use and contain more information. | |||
=== '''''Finding aids''''' === | |||
Finding aids sometimes contain mistakes which can mislead the researcher, such as wrong page numbers in an index. | |||
=== '''''Background information''''' === | |||
Background information is sometimes misinterpreted or applied incorrectly to individual cases. | |||
== '''Format of the Record''' == | |||
Photographic copies, including microfilm, microfiche, digital, and photocopies are virtually as good as the actual document, although they may sometimes be hard to read. Be on watch for deliberate alterations. | |||
== '''Origin of the Information''' == | |||
A key to interpreting information is determining how close in time it was recorded to the event it describes. | |||
=== '''''Primary Information''''' === | |||
Primary information was recorded at or near the time of the event by someone closely associated with it. | |||
=== '''''Secondary Information''''' === | |||
Secondary information was recorded much later than the event or recorded by a person who was not associated with the event. | |||
=== '''''Accuracy''''' === | |||
Secondary information is not necessarily less correct. | |||
=== '''''Sources of Information''''' === | |||
Ask who recorded the information and how did the recorder know what happened? | |||
=== '''''Insufficient Information''''' === | |||
Often information is missing from a record you expect should include it. | |||
== '''Consistency and Clarity of the Facts''' == | |||
As you evaluate the information in the records you found, you must determine how well the facts were recorded. | |||
=== '''Consistent Facts''' === | |||
Are any facts inconsistent with other facts? | |||
=== '''Corroborating or Conflicting Sources''' === | |||
Do '''''independent''''' sources created without reference to each other agree on the facts? Does the information you found contradict other sources? | |||
=== '''''Names''''' === | |||
Are they clearly recorded? | |||
=== '''''Dates''''' === | |||
Are the dates written in an understandable style? | |||
=== '''''Places''''' === | |||
Are the places named and clearly identified? | |||
=== '''''Relationships''''' === | |||
Does the document state relationships directly, or only suggest them? | |||
== '''Likelihood of Events''' == | |||
Even if the events were clearly recorded, you must also determine if the events described in the records really could have happened. | |||
== '''Directness of the Evidence''' == | |||
The information in a record is contained in a statement that provides either direct or indirect evidence regarding your research objective. | |||
=== '''''Direct statements''''' === | |||
Direct statements give a straightforward fact. | |||
=== '''''Indirect statements''''' === | |||
Indirect statements support a fact by reasonable inference. | |||
== '''Establishing Proof''' == | |||
Each record and each piece of evidence in a record can be evaluated individually, but ''proof'' is the accumulation of acceptable evidence. | |||
=== '''''Clear and convincing evidence''''' === | |||
Clear and convincing evidence means that the accumulated evidence in favor of a point is so strong that any reasonable person would also make the same conclusions. | |||
=== '''''Genealogical Proof Standard''''' === | |||
The Genealogical Proof Standard is another way of measuring the likelihood that genealogical conclusions reflect reality. | |||
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= '''Transfer the Information''' = | = '''Transfer the Information''' = | ||