Use the Information

Principles of Family History Research

Use the Information

Step 5: Evaluate and Use the information.

After you have searched records you are ready to use the information you found.

To make best use of the information—

• Evaluate what you found.
• Transfer needed information to the appropriate forms.
• Organize the new records.
• Share your findings.

When you have completed this step, you will have new information organized on family group record and/or pedigree charts. You may also have recorded the information in personal or family history notes.

When you have learned all you wish to learn about a family, share your information with others by contributing it to Internet databases like FamilySearch Family Tree, or by preparing and publishing a book, or article, or putting up an Internet site.

You will also be ready to start the process again and return to Step 1 to research another objective or individual.

Table of Contents for Step 5. Use the Information

1 Evaluate the Evidence

1.1 Relevance of the Record

1.2 Category of the Record

1.3 Format of the Record

1.4 Nature of the Information

1.5 Directness of the Evidence

1.6 Consistency and Clarity of the Facts

1.7 Likelihood of Events

1.8 Establishing Proof

1.8.1 Clear and convincing evidence

1.8.2 Genealogical Proof Standard

2 Transfer the Information

2.1 Cite Your Sources

3 Organize the New Records

3.1 Using a Computer for Genealogy

4 Share the Information

4.1 Family

4.2 Online Databases Like New FamilySearch

4.3 Put Up a Genealogy Web Page

4.4 Write a Family History

4.5 Participate in a Family or Surname Association

4.6 Donate Your Files

5 Latter-day Saint Genealogy Resources

6 Restart the Research Cycle

7 For Further Reading

See also

What to do with the genealogy and family history I collected