FamilySearch Wiki:Guiding Principles: Difference between revisions

As a not for profit entity, FamilySearch fundamentally requires that all products and services be free of charge to everyone. All content on the Research Wiki is covered under a Creative Commons license, which states that anyone can use this content, with proper citations, on any other creative commons site. Additionally, there will never be a charge to the user to have access to any of the content on the Research Wiki. However, articles in the Research Wiki can include links to records and other sources on the Internet that may charge an access or registration fee, as long as the user has a clear choice whether to pay it or not. <br>  

The Research Wiki must be written from a neutral point of view, representing fairly, and as far as possible without bias, all significant views of family history related topics that have been published by reliable sources. This allows those who will come to use and depend on the knowledge contained within the Research Wiki, to see and try all techniques and suggestions for finding records about their ancestors. Neutral point of view also requires the citation of sources that are authoritative and verifiable. Avoid unduly personal points of view, personal opinion, personal experiences, or arguments. The Research Wiki is not a soapbox, a place to include personal testimonials, or stories of research success, or an advertising platform. Avoid being dogmatic. Overly religious, political, ethnic, cultural, historic, and nationalistic discussions tend to be biased, one-sided, and rarely apply to family history research, records, or instruction. The best way to avoid being personal or dogmatic is to write with a neutral point of view and cite authoritative sources for the ideas you express. Strive to fairly explain any competing points of view that differ from your own. Even though this site is sponsored by a religious entity, it is neither reviewed nor correlated for doctrinal correctness, and therefore, should not become a forum for doctrinal discussions or discourses—even ones that are purely informational in nature. Other sites may exist for this purpose, especially [http://www.lds.org lds.org] and may be linked to from within the Research Wiki.