* Research Methodology Books and Sites

[AdrianBruce]

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere - the search didn't show anything obvious in the first couple of pages. This arises from a posting on the Mailing List...

What are people's top tips for books and sites that describe the methods we can use to do genealogy and family history that's UK-based?

I don't mean books that describe the information (e.g. 'My Ancestor was an X' or 'Tracing your Z-shire Ancestors' or even Mark Herber's 'Ancestral Trails'). Rather I'm after the methods we use to stick it all together. How to develop a research plan? (What is a Research Plan?) How do you know when you've got enough proof? How to document stuff? How to write it up if you are doing that free-hand? And yes, how to format 'citations / reference notes / bibliographies, etc.'!

The Americans have Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills but its direct applicability to UK genealogy is limited.

To start things off, I'd mention:

• 'Nuts and Bolts: Family History Problem Solving through Family Reconstitution Techniques' by Andrew Todd - possibly less useful if you're attempting to trace Smith in London, but definitely useful if you're trying to see how a rarer name might fit together in one or more families in a limited area;
• 'The Genealogical Proof Standard' on http://www.bcgcertification.org/resources/standard.html While this comes from the Board for Certification of Genealogists in the USA, it addresses the 'what is proof' idea.
• 'Skillbuilding: Guidelines for Evaluating Genealogical Resources' Another BCG page ( http://www.bcgcertification.org/skillbu ... ld085.html ) that helps us distinguish original / derivative, primary / secondary, etc - the basic aspects that give us an initial starting point for assessing how good the evidence in a source is likely to be. (The caveat here is that the UK tends to use primary / secondary in a different way from the US).

And I also have Helen Osborn's book 'Genealogy: Essential Research Methods' on my shelves to read. Every time I open it, I find good bits but I haven't read it all so am in no position to give a proper recommendation.

Any other major recommendations?

ID:6878

[ColeValleyGirl]

Even if the detailed citation formats in Evidence Explained are mostly US-centric, the first two chapters (on Evidence Analysis, and the Fundamentals of Citation) are excellent guides to working with sources, as is Shown Mills website at http://www.evidenceexplained.com.

There's a great diagram of the research process at http://www.thinkgenealogy.com/map/.

I also recommend the Osborn book, having read it cover to cover. It's good to finally see a UK-centric book on research methodology -- all the other resources I'm aware of originate in the US.

Also on my bookshelf:

The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual, which covers not only the Genealogical Proof Standard, but also Data Collection, Evidence Evaluation and Compilation Standards.

Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case by Christine Rose goes into more detail on applying the GPS.

(As an aside, I'm not convinced that the different use of primary/secondary terminology is a US/UK split, but that's a different discussion).