References to source material

I have observed "two" ways of referring to source material in genealogies. The word "two" is in quotation marks, because one of the ways of citing sources is not to do it at all. Although this method does not mean that the information presented is incorrect, it does suggest that the researcher may not be experienced. The second way source material is referenced is to cite a title (and sometimes page) of a book, the URL (=address) of a web page, the state and county and year of a census, etc. This is clearly an improvement over not reporting the source(s) at all, but anyone who wants to verify a particular piece of information has to locate the particular source(s), not always an easy task, especially if it is, for example, a gravestone inscription.

The internet provides a much better method of reporting sources. With scanners and digital cameras, a researcher can show the actual source material for everyone to evaluate. (I have to assume here that an individual who posts such material is really interested in presenting accurate work and does not alter an image falsely.) A gravestone inscription that was once inaccessible to most people can be viewed without having to leave one's computer workstation, and an entry in a family Bible can be scanned (or photographed if the Bible is too fragile to be laid open on the scanner) and shared with anyone who wants to see it. Images with a resolution of 72 dpi (=dots per inch) are quite readable on a computer screen and do not occupy very much computer memory.


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