Most archives and libraries have already used these elements to describe the source in their catalog. For example, who is the author, what is the title, and what is the date of an untitled parish register kept over many years by several ministers? In practice the first five elements are sometimes complicated and may be hard-to-find details. Brief preliminary evaluation comment about the source (optional, but especially valuable).Optional library or archive call number.Repository (for publications the place published and publisher for unpublished material the repository and address).In theory a good source citation is simply a matter of including five normal, and two optional elements: See Creating Custom Reports with RootsMagic on this page. (This is easily accomplished by using genealogy software such as RootsMagic. Cite the census source for each member of the family listed. For example, a marriage license may also divulge birth information and should be cited for both the marriage and the birth. Link each source citation to the event(s) it documents. The best time to enter source footnotes is at the same time as you enter the event information. Add a source citation for every event mentioned on each source. When to add source citations Īdd a source citation every time you add an event to a family group record.

Also, the source in which an ancestor appears is one of the identifiers of that ancestor (like his name, date, place, and relationship identifiers).

Citing sources is the best way to avoid plagiarism. It is a partial acknowledgment of the contributions of the authors you cite. It helps other researchers vet your work. The best way to judge the quality of a family group record is by its source footnotes.Ĭiting your sources makes it easier to correlate and analyze sources against each other.

5.6 Manuscripts (published on microfilm).

5.2 Computer databases (published on compact disc).

Rootsmagic 7 adding census