Tag: sources

Methodology, Sources and resources

Family History Source Citations That Support Your Conclusions

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We all learn the rules. We have to cite our sources. The problem is that it has become too easy for us to add a couple of source citations and think that the job is done.

But the job is not done if the sources cited do not provide sufficient evidence for your conclusions.

Source citations do not guarantee quality family history

Modern genealogy software and online platforms make adding source citations quick and simple. Click a button, attach a source, and you’re done. This ease of citation has created a false sense of security. Many researchers assume that because they’ve added citations, their family history is accurate and well-documented.

This assumption is dangerous.

If you examine any online family tree, or even your own family history documentation, you’ll quickly discover inadequacies in how sources support the conclusions drawn. The more you look, the more problems you’ll find.

Common Citation Problems

These inadequacies fall into four main categories:

Including extra information not found in the cited sources. You record information that isn’t actually in the documents you’ve referenced.

Recording information differently than it appears in the sources. You interpret or alter what the source says instead of recording it accurately.

Omitting important information from the cited sources. You cherry-pick details while ignoring other information in the same document.

Dismissing discrepancies between sources. When multiple sources disagree, you choose one without acknowledging the conflict or explaining why you chose one over the other.

These problems stem from two causes. Sometimes you have additional sources to support your conclusion but simply haven’t cited them. Other times, you’ve reached hasty conclusions based on insufficient evidence.

Either way, these errors undermine your research process and mislead others who rely on your work.

The Real Problem: Analysis is Neglected

By focusing on adding source citations and making the citation process easy, we risk not conducting sufficient analysis to determine whether our sources and conclusions are correct.

Citations without analysis create an illusion of scholarly rigor. They suggest your conclusions are well-supported when they may not be.

Common Errors in Practice

Here are three frequent mistakes that demonstrate how citations can mislead.

Errors in Dates

Common mistakes include:

  • Recording a full date when cited sources only mention the year
  • Stating a year without clarifying it’s an approximation.

Example: You record your ancestor’s birth date as 9 Jan 1852 and cite the 1851 English census. This citation doesn’t support your conclusion. The census provides an age in a particular year, from which you can calculate an approximate birth year. This is indirect evidence for the year, but no evidence is provided for the day and month.

Census ages are often approximate. In some cases, such as the 1841 English census they’re deliberately rounded – though application of that standard is variable.

Another example: You record your ancestor’s birth date as 22 Feb 1875 and cite the NSW Births Deaths and Marriages index. This citation doesn’t support your conclusion. Full dates are only supported by the actual certificate or a transcription has been obtained and cited. Indexes may state just the year, or a quarterly period.

The Solution: Find sources that contain the actual full date, such as baptism records that often list both baptism and birth dates. Alternatively, be precise about what your sources say. If the civil registration index shows “May-July 1866,” record exactly that.

English BMD indexes often only state the quarter. This one has a specific month.

Errors in Locations

Common mistakes include:

  • Recording where an event was registered instead of where it occurred
  • Recording an associated event’s location instead of the actual event (baptism location as birth location, burial location as death location)
  • Inconsistent approach to recording location name changes
  • Including location errors from sources without noting the discrepancy.

Example: Your ancestor’s birth certificate states that he was born in Spicers Creek NSW Australia, but the birth was registered in Wellington NSW Australia. You record the location as Wellington, but this misleads both you and other researchers.

The Solution: Use the event location when available. Put registration details in your notes. For location name changes, I suggest using current names with historical variants noted.

Errors in Names

Common mistakes include:

  • Choosing one name, without recording the variations and the sources that contain the variations
  • Not realising that a difference in name may indicate that the cited source relates to a different person
  • Recording middle names that aren’t stated in the cited sources
  • Forgetting to record a woman with her maiden name.

Example: You record your great grandmother as Sophia Jane Squires, but that is her married name. Change it to Sophia Jane Webb and cite her marriage certificate or her baptism record, if available.

The Solution: All name variations and middle names need sources that specifically provide evidence for that exact variation. Record all variations you find, but ensure each has proper citation support. Choose one version as the primary name and cite at least one source using that exact version.

Why These Details Matter

Names, dates and locations are the building blocks of family history research. Even small errors can lead to:

  • Including wrong people in your family tree
  • Researching in the wrong places or time periods
  • Overlooking significant inconsistencies in your information.

Good quality family history must be accurate, comprehensive, and well-documented. This means ensuring you have cited sufficient evidence to support each conclusion.

Putting it Into Practice

Here’s how to audit your own work:

Create a simple table with four columns: Information, Sources Cited, Issues, and Sufficient Evidence?

Choose one grandparent from your family tree. Examine their name, birth, and death information. Look for discrepancies between what you’ve recorded and what your cited sources actually say.

My Example: Maternal Grandfather Analysis

This analysis revealed that my death date and location lack proper source support. I need to obtain additional sources.

Your Next Steps

Repeat this analysis for each grandparent and then move backwards through the generations. You could conduct this analysis as part of your Tree Health Assessment.

Where you find insufficient evidence, you have two options:

  1. Find additional sources to support your conclusions
  2. Modify your recorded information to match what your sources actually say.

Remember: source citations are the foundation of quality family history, but only when those sources actually support the conclusions you’ve drawn from them.

Quality research requires both good sources and careful analysis of what those sources tell us.

For more tips on source citations, see Chapter 5 of my book, The Good Genealogist, and my blog post, Citing Family History Sources.

About the Author

Danielle Lautrec is a genealogy educator, researcher, and author of The Good Genealogist. With qualifications in history, family history, and historical archaeology, she teaches for the Society of Australian Genealogists.

Sources and resources

Offline Family History Sources: Hidden Treasures

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The internet is a great tool for family history research, but it’s only the start. Offline family history sources hold incredible treasures waiting to be discovered – original documents, family photographs, handwritten letters, and records that may never appear online.

These sources can unlock family mysteries, provide rich details for your stories, and offer connections to your ancestors’ lives. With the right approach, accessing offline sources becomes an exciting adventure rather than a daunting task.

What Are Offline Family History Sources?

Offline sources are any materials that provide family history information but aren’t available on the internet. They include both digitised materials held in physical collections and items that have never been digitised.

Examples of offline sources include:

  • Original church registers and parish records
  • Historical maps and property plans
  • Family photographs, letters, and diaries
  • Published family histories and genealogies
  • Cemetery office records and funeral director files
  • Court case files and legal documents
  • School records and employment files
  • Local newspaper archives
  • Military service records
  • Medical records and hospital registers.
example of an offline family history source - the last page of an affidavit to a will
Three treasures I found in an archive for my own family history.
example of an offline family history source - a hand-written letter requesting a land grant at Evan, New South Wales, dated 1824
example of an offline family history source - typed letter regarding shares in a company

Why Offline Sources Are Genealogy Gold

Online databases are wonderful starting points for your family history research, but they represent just a fraction of available records. Offline sources offer some unique advantages:

Original documents reveal more. You might discover additional information not included in online transcriptions, or spot errors in digital copies. Original documents often contain details that provide extra context.

Example:

The birth certificate of my great grandmother, Bertha, has a notation that confirms her birth name, which was different to the name she was using at the time of her marriage. This notation was evidence that I had the correct person.

Richer context and collections. Archives often keep related materials together. You might find a family collection containing letters, photographs, wills, and personal documents that tell a complete story.

Example:

The archives of the Society of Australian Genealogists has a collection of family papers of the Sydney-based businessman and restauranteur Mei Quong Tart (1850-1903), whose famous tea rooms were situated in the Queen Victoria Building. These include scrapbooks, letters and photographs which provide insights into the social life of the man and his family.

Unique information. Many offline sources contain details found nowhere else. Personal letters reveal family relationships and daily life. Local records capture community connections.

Example:

When I worked in the archives of the Society of Australian Genealogists, I had the pleasure of reading and cataloguing many diaries and letters, as well as sketches and poetry of women from the 19th century. Their stories are captivating and the experience of holding such items is something that online research just cannot match.

Problem-solving power. Offline sources frequently hold the key to breaking down brick walls or resolving conflicting information.

Example:

When I examined my great-great-grandfather’s probate packet at the NSW State Archives, I discovered he’d left his estate to a woman and her children – not to his own family! This led to a fascinating story about a court challenge and revealed an entire branch of relationships I never knew existed.

Where to Find Offline Treasures

Libraries and archives are your primary destinations. Look beyond the obvious national and state institutions to discover:

  • Local and regional libraries
  • Family history society libraries
  • University special collections
  • Religious institution archives
  • Occupation-based collections (railway museums, medical associations)
  • School and college archives.

Museums and galleries often hold surprising genealogical treasures. Historical societies maintain collections of local records, photographs, and personal items that illuminate daily life in past eras.

Private collections represent the largest category of offline sources. Family members, local historians, and collectors often hold unique materials.

Finding the Right Repositories

Start with the FamilySearch Wiki, which lists repositories worldwide with contact details and collection descriptions.

Use specialised portals like GENUKI (UK) or Coraweb (Australia) for regional guidance.

Think strategically about your ancestor’s life. Which school did they attend? What church? What employer? These institutions may have archives.

New Zealand flag and headings for research guidance
Find information about repositories on the location page in the FamilySearch Wiki.

Accessing Offline Sources: Practical Strategies

Before You Visit

Research the repository by checking their website. Investigate:

  • Opening hours and access requirements
  • Whether you can pre-order materials
  • Photography and copying policies
  • Any special restrictions.

Check if they require you obtain a membership card before your visit.

Research the collection using online catalogues where available. Many archives and libraries provide finding aids that may help you identify relevant materials.

Plan your visit with clear goals. Prioritise the most important materials for your research questions. Contact the repository if their website does not contain the information you need. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time – always assume that it will take longer than you think!

During Your Visit

Take effective notes including full source citations. Use your phone or tablet to photograph documents where permitted – this saves time and ensures you capture all details.

Ask for help. Repository staff and volunteers are knowledgeable about their collections and may be able to assist you locating relevant materials.

Work systematically through your priority list, but remain flexible. You might discover unexpected connections.

If You Can’t Travel

Use email reference services. Many repositories offer lookup services for specific queries.

Connect with local researchers through family history societies or genealogical associations. They often provide research services or volunteer assistance.

Network through social media groups focused on your research areas. Local genealogists frequently share information and offer help.

Making the Most of Your Discoveries

Document everything thoroughly while details are fresh. Include not just the information you found, but also the context – what collection it came from, what other materials were nearby, and any insights from repository staff. Make a record of any usage restrictions, particularly if you plan to publish your research.

Cite your sources properly using established genealogical citation formats. This ensures you can find materials again and helps other researchers when you share your research.

Share your discoveries appropriately. Consider contributing copies of your research to relevant repositories or genealogical societies.

Your Next Steps

Ready to explore offline sources?

Get started with one offline action:

  • Visit your local library’s family history section
  • Contact a local historical society about their collections
  • Email a repository about a specific research question
  • Ask family members about documents they might have.

Remember: Every offline source you explore has the potential to provide new evidence for your family history. And these materials connect you directly to your ancestors’ world in ways that online sources cannot match.

The treasures are out there waiting for you. Your next breakthrough might be sitting in a filing cabinet, a family attic, or an archive just a phone call away.

Want more strategies for effective family history research? Check out my posts on research planning, note-taking techniques, and citing sources.

Feature image: Morrab Library in Penzance, Cornwall, England. I spent a day there browsing files and books when researching my maternal family history.

About the Author

Danielle Lautrec is a genealogy educator, researcher, and author of The Good Genealogist. With qualifications in history, family history, and historical archaeology, she teaches for the Society of Australian Genealogists.

Methodology, Sources and resources

How to take effective family history research notes

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Avoid wasting time on research notes that are totally useless next time you read them. Learn how to craft effective family history research notes.

I know, it sounds like a boring topic, but improving your skills in this area will make your research more accurate and more enjoyable.

Four elements of effective family history research notes

Effective family history research notes need:

  • appropriate context
  • useful content
  • a clear layout and
  • revision.

Purpose of family history research notes

You probably take notes throughout the research process and the purpose of the notes will vary depending on what you are doing. For example, you might be planning your research, recording information from sources, analysing evidence or jotting down ideas for a writing project. The purpose will also change depending on the specific topic that is currently under investigation.

Depending on your purpose, the context, content, layout and revision will vary, but each element is always relevant.

Your note taking process

Research notes that are stand-alone documents will be different to notes that you make directly into your family history software, online family tree, or into a research plan or research log.

The main difference is that stand-alone documents will need to include more context so that they make sense when they are not linked to your family tree. There may be layout differences too.

Effective family history research notes have appropriate context

Context is information that provides meaning to your research notes. Context places your notes in the broader setting of your family history and the research that you are conducting.

If you do not include appropriate context, your research notes will be next to useless.

As mentioned above, if you place your notes directly into your family tree or a research plan or log, then those provide some context. However, these tips may still be relevant.

Include information about the subject of your research notes, whether that be a person, a family group, a place or a topic. In most cases, you should also state your research objectives, research questions and/or hypothesis.

Be specific with this contextual information and it will help you construct your notes, by making it clear what you need to focus on. It will also help you understand your notes better when you read them again later.

You can include some background information about the person, family, place or topic. However, keep it short and relevant to your specific research questions.

You should also add contextual information to help you organise your research notes within your documentation system. As an example of this, I like to include the unique identifier numbers that my family history software assigns to the person or couple. This helps me link my notes to my family tree.

Effective family history research notes have useful content

Purpose and audience

The content of your research notes needs to have strong links to the purpose of your research. It also needs to be appropriate for the audience. These things change all the time. One approach will not be suitable for all occasions.

Each time you take notes, think about why you are making them, who is going to read them and what they need to do with them. Notes for your own research, for example, will be very different to those you take when you are researching for a client (paid or unpaid).

Take time to clearly identify your specific purpose and stick to it. You can always revisit the source or topic another time if you need more information for another purpose or a different research question.

What information should you include in your notes?

Consider the information you need to document to answer your research questions or achieve your research objectives. This sounds pretty obvious, but think of it in terms of the information you need to gather to provide evidence for reasonable and defensible conclusions.

flow diagram showing how research questions determine the information you need and the sources that you use

Is there information that fills a gap in your knowledge? Information that explains some aspect of your family history? Information that provides evidence that strengthens your conclusions? Or perhaps information that highlights an inconsistency in available information, or helps to resolve an inconsistency?

You may not always succeed in answering your research questions, but all research notes have the potential to provide you with research leads.

Copying information

Typically, historians, and all students I guess, are encouraged not to copy information verbatim but to paraphrase it instead.

There is certainly value in paraphrasing, but for family historians there is also a lot of value in copying information verbatim. Copying helps minimise the errors that can occur when paraphrasing and interpreting information.

If your research notes are based on extracting information from sources, they should include copies or extracts from those sources, as well as your own interpretation of that information.

Notes should include analysis too

Research notes are not all about copying information. They should also contain analysis.

Use your notes to record your analysis of the sources you used, the information you found and the evidence that this provides. You should also critically analyse any conclusions that others have made, to determine whether their conclusions are reasonable and defensible.

For my articles about analysing sources, go to the Analyse page.

Effective family history research notes have a clear layout

There is no standard template to help you take effective research notes, but there are certainly some characteristics that I can recommend. These are listed in the general order that I would follow.

  • First, always include a good quality source citation. I suggest that you create the citation before you start your notes, as the information you collect in that process will teach you about the source and inform your notes. If your research notes draw from multiple sources, they can be added as footnotes and a bibliography.
  • Include information about the repository if it is not mentioned in the citation. This will help you find the source again, if needed.
  • Next, state your research question(s) or hypothesis. Putting these near the top of your research notes provides a focus.
  • Other contextual information may sit well just after the research questions or hypothesis, or you may prefer to place it at the end of your notes.
  • Next, document the information and your analysis. Make sure that you clearly distinguish your analysis, interpretation and ideas from the source content to maintain clarity.
  • Then summarise the key points and make sure that they relate back to your research questions or hypothesis. Place your summary where it stands out. Perhaps at the top of your notes or in a text box.
  • If your notes help you identify further work that is required, this should be placed somewhere to the bottom of your notes.

Other layout options that can make your notes more user-friendly:

  • Use symbols, icons, headings and other formatting to highlight important concepts or key information.
  • Highlight key words, surnames, place names and topics to help you organise your notes.
  • Use visual elements such as maps, drawings, tables and timelines to explain and illustrate.
  • Cross reference your notes to other documentation where appropriate. Use hyperlinks to online sources or summaries, for example, if your notes are digital.

Effective family history research notes are reviewed and revised

It does take additional time, but reviewing and editing your research notes will make them more effective.

During the revision process you may:

  • improve the source citation
  • revise the research question or hypothesis
  • remove redundant information and make your notes more focused
  • expand on your analysis and clarify your thoughts
  • add information from other sources
  • gain new research leads
  • refine your language and remove ambiguous statements.

While I do recommend using your own brain for this step, you may also try using AI to summarise your research notes and edit your language.

More information

Read more about improving the quality of your family history in my book, The Good Genealogist.

Feature image generated by AI within WordPress based on the content of the article.

macbook on brown wooden table
Methodology, Sources and resources

Find More Family History Websites to Broaden Your Search

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When you’re building your family tree, it’s tempting to stick with familiar websites like Ancestry, FamilySearch, or Findmypast. These platforms are excellent starting points, but they’re just that – starting points.

Here’s why you need to explore more family history websites: By broadening your search and using a wider range of sources, you’ll gather more information and evidence. This helps fill research gaps, expands your family stories, and strengthens your conclusions through corroboration.

Different websites hold different sources. What you can’t find on Ancestry might be sitting on a volunteer-run site or a small institutional archive.

This post was originally published in October 2024 and last updated on 2 August 2025

12+ Family History Websites to Consider

Here are some examples of sites to explore:

Government Archives or Libraries

IrishGenealogy.ie provides free access to Irish civil birth, marriage, and death records. The site covers different date ranges depending on the record type, making it essential for Irish research.

UK National Archives Discovery serves as the catalogue for UK government records. You’ll find digitised content alongside references to physical holdings at Kew and other repositories.

Archives Portal Europe acts as a gateway to European archives across dozens of countries. Use this to locate records held in institutions you might never have heard of.

Trove (Australia) offers newspapers, images, maps, and more from Australian libraries, universities, museums, galleries and archives. The newspaper collection alone spans over 150 years.

Volunteer and Nonprofit Projects

USGenWeb provides state-by-state collections of records, cemetery indexes, and family submissions across the United States. Each state site is maintained by volunteers with local knowledge.

GENUKI serves as an essential guide to genealogy sources for the UK and Ireland, with county-by-county breakdowns of available records.

Visual and Photo Archives

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) aggregates millions of items from US libraries, museums, and archives. Search across photographs, maps, letters, and documents from hundreds of institutions simultaneously.

Europeana provides access to cultural heritage materials from across Europe. You’ll find photographs, maps, letters, and other materials that might show your ancestors’ communities and daily life.

Academic and Specialist Projects

Digital Panopticon focuses on British and Australian convict records and criminal justice data. If you have convict ancestors, this site offers detailed tracking of individual cases.

London Lives covers a wide range of original sources about eighteenth-century London, particularly focusing on ordinary Londoners rather than the wealthy elite.

Personal and Community Sites

Judy Webster’s Genealogy Tips and Indexes provides indexes to Australian historical records and other genealogy resources, maintained by an experienced Australian researcher.

GeneaBloggers serves as a directory of genealogy blogs across many themes and regions. These blogs often highlight local sources and research techniques.

The Workhouse offers comprehensive material about UK workhouses, including admission records, photographs, and historical context.

Tip: Bookmark sites relevant to your research interests. Add them to a research log in your preferred system – whether that’s Notion, family history software, or a spreadsheet.

How to Discover More Family History Websites

Once you’ve explored these suggestions, here are strategies for finding sites tailored to your specific research needs:

Use Genealogy Portals and Directories

The FamilySearch Wiki includes country, region, and topic guides with links to relevant sources and websites. Start with their research guides for your locations.

Cyndi’s List is one of the most comprehensive directories of genealogy websites, organised by category and region.

CoraWeb offers Australian genealogy links curated by a librarian. The site includes both well-known and obscure Australian sources.

These portals will help you find local archives, church collections, and specialised databases.

Learn from Other Researchers

Check the citations in published family trees, research articles, or genealogy books. Which websites are other researchers using for your areas of interest?

Follow genealogy bloggers and join social media communities focused on your research regions. Experienced researchers regularly share discoveries of useful websites.

Contact Local Experts

Reach out to local or regional libraries in areas you’re researching. Many maintain useful collections. Historical societies often have their own websites with unique local records and indexes.

Use Strategic Search Terms

When searching with Google or other search engines, try these combinations:

  • Location + record type + “online” (e.g., “Yorkshire baptism records online”)
  • Surname + location + “genealogy site”
  • Record type + “digital collection”
  • Location + “historical society” + “records”

Experiment with different search engines, including AI searches, as they may produce different results than Google.

Target your search by focusing on your research questions and the information needed, before considering which sources you need.

Attend Training and Conferences

Genealogy lectures, webinars, and society newsletters often introduce useful websites. Take notes during sessions. Even sites that seem irrelevant now might prove valuable later.

Many genealogy societies maintain resource lists that include lesser known but valuable websites.

Organise Your Website Collection

As you discover more sites, create a system to track them:

Use organised bookmarks. Create folders by country, topic, or research goal (e.g., “Ireland,” “Military Records,” “Immigration”).

Maintain a master list in your research log, spreadsheet, or Notion workspace. Include notes about what makes each site useful: “Land records before 1830” or “Transcribed church registers only.”

Record specific pages. Consider bookmarking the exact page you used, not just the homepage.

Why This Matters for Your Research

The internet contains thousands of family history websites beyond the major commercial platforms. Many are built by volunteers, libraries, or institutions committed to preserving local history.

These smaller sites often contain unique records, indexes, or transcriptions you won’t find elsewhere. They might hold the exact piece of evidence that breaks through your research barrier. And they may be free.

Remember: comprehensive family history research requires comprehensive source searching. The more websites you explore, the more complete and accurate your family history becomes.

What’s Next?

Start with the websites listed above that match your research interests. Then use the discovery strategies to find sites specific to your family’s locations and time periods.

What’s the most useful family history website you’ve discovered recently? Share your finds with other researchers – we all benefit when we share our discoveries.

More of my tips about family history websites

How to make your search for family history sources easier

Analysing family history sources: Study the repositories

Nine reasons why you cannot find family history sources

About the Author

Danielle Lautrec is a genealogy educator, researcher, and author of The Good Genealogist. With qualifications in history, family history, and historical archaeology, she teaches for the Society of Australian Genealogists.

people inside building
Methodology, Sources and resources

Citing family history sources

generationsgenealogyaus

Citing family history sources is one of the most important elements of family history research, so you need to learn how to do it well. This article explains why you need to cite your sources and how your research will benefit. It provides instructions for citing family history sources and links to other resources so that you can explore the topic further.

Last updated 21 June 2025

There is no single way to cite sources. Each discipline does it slightly differently and even within disciplines, such as family history, there are variations.

The key to successful source citations is to:

  • learn techniques for creating citations
  • devote time to creating good citations and be conscientious about it
  • apply a systematic approach.

What is a family history source?

Sources are anything that you extract information from. They are the source of your information.

Most family history sources are documentary sources. They can be either published or unpublished documents. And they can be in a digital or physical format.

These include:

  • books, journal articles and websites
  • government and church records, such as birth certificates and baptism registers
  • manuscripts and letters
  • family histories
  • photographs
  • maps.
stack of old books

Non-documentary sources are also used, such as:

  • oral histories and family stories
  • objects and memorabilia
  • films and television shows
  • DNA evidence.

Is an index a source?

An index typically provides identifying information such as a surname and information which you can use to track down a source. If you do track down the source and obtain information from it, you cite that source. In such cases, the index is a finding aid, not a source.

However, sometimes the sources are not accessible or you may not look at them straight away. In these circumstances, if you use information from the index in your family history, then the index is a source. Citing the index identifies where you got the information, helps you find the index again and helps you track down the sources at a later date.

Learn more about types of family history sources in my article, What type of family history source is it?

Why is citing family history sources important?

The purpose of source citations is a useful thing to think about, because their purpose tells us what information needs to be included in a citation.

Citing sources helps you find them again

A source citation makes it easier for you to find the source again so that you can take another look at it.

This could be important for a number of reasons:

  • You may have missed information, copied information inaccurately or misinterpreted the source. Looking at it again can help you correct these mistakes.
  • You may have taken a copy of the source which is incomplete or without sufficient context. Looking at the source again allows you to gather more of the source or learn more about it.
  • You always examine a source based on the research questions that you have at that time. You may need to examine the source again when you have different research questions or need information about different family members.

Citing family history sources also makes it easier for other researchers to look at the sources that you used.

If they are good researchers they will do so, because:

  • they will want to check the information to see if they agree with your conclusions
  • they may have different questions, or be interested in different pieces of information in the sources you used.
Extract from an English parish register.
You may need to look at it again, to examine other entries or to find out which parish it was!

Citing sources helps your analysis

One of the most important and often overlooked reasons to cite family history sources is that doing so helps you analyse the source.

When creating a source citation you have to examine the source closely and gather information about the nature of the source, who created it and why.

This process helps you understand the source and the information it contains. This understanding helps you interpret the source accurately, which will improve the quality of your research and the accuracy of your family history.

Citing sources demonstrates the quality of your research

Family history source citations show where you found your information and identify the sources that provide evidence to support your conclusions. They are an indicator of whether you have conducted a reasonably exhaustive search and whether your conclusions are supported by sufficient evidence. These are fundamental principles of good quality family history research.

The quality of your research is indicated by the quantity of sources and the types of sources that you cite for each conclusion.

Read Family History Source Citations That Support Your Conclusions for more about this topic.

Citing sources distinguishes between your work and others

Citing your sources can help you avoid plagiarism, if you publish your work or are writing up your family history for a university or other educational institution.

For more information about why you should cite genealogy sources, check out 4 good reasons to cite your sources.

Citation formats and styles for family history sources

Which citation style should you use?

The format of a citation is dictated firstly by the citation style. The purpose of the style is to provide consistency in the way that the components of a citation are set out. This help readers understand and use the information in the citation.

Different disciplines tend to stick with a particular citation style. Family historians use the Chicago A citation style.

The Chicago A citation style has two key components:

  • citations are included at the bottom of the page as footnotes, or at the end of a document or section of a document as endnotes, and
  • a list of all sources is provided at the end of a document in a bibliography.

How does the format differ within this citation style?

Within each style there are different formats for citations depending on the type of source. This is because each source type requires different information to achieve the purposes of a citation, which are discussed above.

For example, a citation for a published book does not need information about the repository because there are multiple copies and you can find the book by searching a library catalogue.

However, a citation for an unpublished photograph does need information about the repository because there are a limited number of copies. You need to state where at least one is held to help people find it. The citation also needs information about how the photograph is catalogued by that repository, such as a file or reference number, because cataloguing systems for unpublished sources are not standardised.

How strictly do you need to apply the citation style and format?

There is some flexibility within the citation style and format, which is why you will see slight differences in how people cite particular types of sources.

How strictly you apply the citation style and format should depend on the product and your audience. If you are writing an essay or thesis, for example, it is important to use the format that the educational organisation specifies and comply strictly with their requirements. Similarly, if you are writing for a publication, you should follow the format requirements of the publisher. In all other cases, you just need to ensure that your citations achieve the purposes of citations discussed above.

For more information about format and style, plus examples, read my article Family history source citations: styles and format or the Chicago A style guide.

What needs a source citation in genealogy?

You should add a source citation to anything that is not general knowledge.

This includes:

  • conclusions, such as when a family member was born and where
  • ideas or the work of others, such as quotations, data, images and other media.

Sometimes it may also be necessary to provide a citation when you reference your own work, if it appeared in another product. For example, this post quotes and cites parts of my book, The Good Genealogist.

Exceptions to the rule

Source citations are not required on family tree charts. This is probably because they would clutter up the charts and make them difficult to read. Charts are usually presented in the context of other research material that provides detail, context and source citations. If not, then it is probably a good idea to include information on the chart that directs the user to where that information is available.

Extract from my grandmother’s family tree, with no source citations

How to cite family history sources

I believe that it is important to learn how to create family history source citations manually. This will improve your skills in source analysis, which will benefit your research. You can then use that knowledge to utilise citation tools and apply those tools more effectively.

Apply the Six Question Model

Cite your sources manually by applying the Six Question Model. This is a technique that uses a series of prompt questions to help you generate information to include in a family history source citation. The order of the questions guides the general order of the information in the citation.

The model works for all types of family history sources. You’ll find examples in my articles, Citing photographs and objects and Citing an archival source.

Fig. 37, The Good Genealogist
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Consult a citation guide

Citation guides can help you create your source citation.

Many repositories of family history sources provide either a specific suggested citation for the source or a guide to citing their sources. This is useful because they have greater knowledge of the sources that they hold and the details required to find those sources within their collections.

Example of a suggested source citation from Ancestry.com

This is particularly important for unpublished sources, which is why archives tend to have guides to citing the material in their collections. Look for guides on their websites.

Examples of archive citation guides:

National Archives of Australia, Citing Archival Records – Fact Sheet 7

NSW State Archives, Publishing and Citing State Archives (Australia)

National Archives UK, Citing Records in The National Archives

Other resources:

Noeline Kyle, Citing Historical Sources: A Manual for Family Historians, Unlock the Past, South Australia, 2013.

Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, Genealogical Pub. Co., Baltimore, Md., 2007.

Use source citation tools

Family history software contains tools and templates to help you cite your sources. If you use software, it is a good idea to learn how to use the source citation features.

There are many online source citation generation tools, but you ideally you should use one created for family history. Cite-Builder, for example, is provided by Australian genealogist, Jenny Joyce.

If the source has been published, you can look for it in a library catalogue and use their citation generator tool to create a source citation. If the citation generator does not include Chicago A (and many do not), use the Turabian style instead.

Example software citation guide:

Legacy 101 – Source citations

Essential tips for citing family history sources

  • Learn more about the source, so that you understand the information that has to go into each part of the source citation.
  • Create sample citations for frequently used sources to save you time and help you be more consistent.
  • Keep a master list of your citations, to use in further research or for publishing material based on your research.
  • Create your source citation before you start taking notes or adding information to your family tree. Do not leave it until later, as you may forget to do it.
  • If you take a copy of a source or make an extract from a source, add a source citation to that copy or extract immediately.
  • Test your citation against the purpose of source citations. Is it clear and does it have enough information for you to find the source again?
  • Always cite the source that you used. Do not just cite the original, if you used a derivative source such as a transcription. However, if you do use a derivative source, it is best practice to include information about the original source at the end of the source citation. This helps you or another researcher to find that original source, or at least understand where the origins of the information.

Note: An original source is the first version of a source. A derivative source is created based on information from other sources, which may be original sources or other derivative sources.

Related posts:

What type of family history source is it?

5 tips to make citing sources easier

Citing your sources builds better quality family history

Clear, consistent citations do more than just record where you got the information from. They help you analyse your sources and create a more accurate family history.

Start systematically, by adding source citations to each generation. Keep exploring the related posts linked throughout this article for tools, templates, and examples that make citations easier. Or take a look at my book, The Good Genealogist, pp 131-145.