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This understanding should come before you use data found in the records for genealogical purposes. One professional genealogist comments, “I stress the importance of researching the record type before you use the record for research. Having a clear understanding of how, why, and when a record was created goes a long way in knowing if you are looking at primary, secondary, or later copy of any given record.”<ref>Marcia Yannizze Melnyk, ''The Genealogist’s Question and Answer Book: Solutions and Advice for Maximizing Your Research Results'' (Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 2002), 163.</ref> Another professional genealogist explains, “It is critical that genealogists appraise the merit of each document studied.”<ref>Natalie D. Cottrill, “What Every Genealogist Should Know About Original and Derivative Records and Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources of Information,” in ProGenealogists.com at https://web.archive.org/web/20140705130339/http://www.progenealogists.com/sourcetypes.htm (accessed 5 December 2013).</ref> The preeminent book for genealogical source citations rather bluntly states, “We cannot expect to pull a census and scan names or run statistics without thoroughly understanding the circumstances under which that record was created....Every source type has its peculiarities that affect both the meaning and the weight of the evidence we draw from those sources.”<ref>Elizabeth Shown Mills, ''Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace'' (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2007), 21.</ref> | This understanding should come before you use data found in the records for genealogical purposes. One professional genealogist comments, “I stress the importance of researching the record type before you use the record for research. Having a clear understanding of how, why, and when a record was created goes a long way in knowing if you are looking at primary, secondary, or later copy of any given record.”<ref>Marcia Yannizze Melnyk, ''The Genealogist’s Question and Answer Book: Solutions and Advice for Maximizing Your Research Results'' (Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 2002), 163.</ref> Another professional genealogist explains, “It is critical that genealogists appraise the merit of each document studied.”<ref>Natalie D. Cottrill, “What Every Genealogist Should Know About Original and Derivative Records and Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources of Information,” in ProGenealogists.com at https://web.archive.org/web/20140705130339/http://www.progenealogists.com/sourcetypes.htm (accessed 5 December 2013).</ref> The preeminent book for genealogical source citations rather bluntly states, “We cannot expect to pull a census and scan names or run statistics without thoroughly understanding the circumstances under which that record was created....Every source type has its peculiarities that affect both the meaning and the weight of the evidence we draw from those sources.”<ref>Elizabeth Shown Mills, ''Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace'' (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2007), 21.</ref> | ||
Once you understand a document’s background, you are able to more fully utilize the information found in the record. A professional genealogist explained, “If we don’t understand the records, we won’t get all the information from them that we need to answer our research goal.”<ref>Tom Jones, | Once you understand a document’s background, you are able to more fully utilize the information found in the record. A professional genealogist explained, “If we don’t understand the records, we won’t get all the information from them that we need to answer our research goal.”<ref>Tom Jones, [http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/FHD/Community/en/CBIG/Inferential_Genealogy_Course_Handout.pdf “Inferential Genealogy,”] in FamilySearch.org (accessed 5 December 2013).</ref> Another professional genealogist notes, “Since the researcher seeks records with the purpose of learning specific information about a person, group, or family, records are best understood and used according to their content. … It is by understanding the creation, purpose, and use of genealogical records … that excellent genealogists can then effectively use, interpret, and evaluate the information in those records.”<ref>Kory L. Meyerink, “Elements of Genealogy,” ''Becoming an Excellent Genealogist: Essays on Professional Research Skills'' (ICAPGen, 2012), 27, 30.</ref> | ||
When preparing to gather data from a document, keep in mind these three important pieces of a record’s history: | When preparing to gather data from a document, keep in mind these three important pieces of a record’s history: | ||
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