GENEALOGY GUIDE

Source versus citation

This guide presents a structured approach to source versus citation. The workflow uses the Drzewo application, but the principles apply to other genealogy programs as well. Preserve original material, distinguish evidence from assumptions and create regular backups throughout the process.

Define the exact outcome

Turn “Source versus citation” into one testable task. Instead of deciding to improve the whole tree, identify a particular date, relationship, duplicate record or export that needs attention. Record the starting state, the expected result and the evidence you intend to use. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Prepare the relevant material

Collect only the people, records, places and relationships directly connected with the task. Open the person profile, source list, quality report and relevant tree view. A similar surname is not enough evidence to copy a person from an unrelated tree. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Follow a reversible workflow

Import or enter the information first, check family links, dates and places next, and postpone merging or exporting until the review is complete. After every major step, inspect the person and immediate family. For GEDCOM files, review the version, encoding, unknown structures and broken-reference report. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Evaluate the result

A good result for “Source versus citation” should be explainable to another researcher. It should be clear which facts came from a record, which came from testimony and which remain hypotheses. Reopen exported files and make sure the copy does not expose private information about living people. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Define the research goal first

Before editing the tree, write down one specific question. It might concern a missing date, a person’s identity, a place-name change or a safe way to share the result. A focused question prevents unrelated guesses from becoming mixed with established facts. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Work from copies

Keep original documents and exported files unchanged. Use a working copy for edits and create another backup after a large import, merge or media update. Genealogy depends on being able to return to the original evidence and compare it with the transformed data. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Record where each claim came from

Every important date, place and relationship should have a source citation or a note explaining its origin. Family testimony is valuable evidence, but it should identify the speaker, interview date and level of certainty rather than being presented as an anonymous fact. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Do not invent precision

If a record provides only a year, or states that an event occurred before a particular date, do not replace that wording with a guessed day and month. Approximate dates, ranges and alternative place names are meaningful data. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Check relationships in both directions

After adding a parent, inspect both the child and the parent. After adding a partnership, inspect partners, children and dates. This simple review catches accidental duplicates, incorrect families and ancestry cycles. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Protect living people

Exact dates, addresses, private notes and modern photographs should not be included in a shared file without consent. Use anonymization or exclusion and inspect the exported copy before sending it to another person. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Verify every export

Open a newly created GEDCOM, GEDZIP or PDF again. Compare person and family counts and inspect several sources, relationships, media links and non-ASCII characters. A successful download does not guarantee that another application will interpret every field in the same way. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Document decisions

When you dismiss a warning or choose between conflicting dates, add a short explanation. The note will help another researcher understand why the tree contains that conclusion and what still needs verification. In practice, test the method on a few records before changing an entire branch. Compare person and family counts, and verify file names, descriptions and source assignments for every document.

Checklist

The original file or scan has been preserved.
Every important claim has a source or explanatory note.
Uncertain dates have not been made artificially precise.
Relationships have been checked from both people’s profiles.
The exported file has been reopened and compared.
Living people’s information has been protected.

Summary

Finish the session with a short research note describing what was established, what remains uncertain and what should be checked next. This approach is slower than copying an existing online tree, but it produces data that is easier to verify, migrate and pass on to relatives.

Tool: Open the private family tree maker.