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Recommended by the National Genealogical
Society
Conscious
of the fact that sharing information or data with others, whether through
speech, documents or electronic media, is essential to family history research
and that it needs continuing support and encouragement, responsible family
historians consistently—
·
respect the restrictions on sharing information that
arise from the rights of another as an author, originator or compiler; as a
living private person; or as a party to a mutual agreement.
·
observe meticulously the legal rights of copyright
owners, copying or distributing any part of their works only with their
permission, or to the limited extent specifically allowed under the law's
"fair use" exceptions.
·
identify the sources for all ideas, information and
data from others, and the form in which they were received, recognizing that
the unattributed use of another's intellectual work is plagiarism.
·
respect the authorship rights of senders of letters,
electronic mail and data files, forwarding or disseminating them further only
with the sender's permission.
·
inform people who provide information about their
families as to the ways it may be used, observing any conditions they impose
and respecting any reservations they may express regarding the use of
particular items.
·
require some evidence of consent before assuming that
living people are agreeable to further sharing of information about themselves.
·
convey personal identifying information about living
people—like age, home address, occupation or activities—only in ways that those
concerned have expressly agreed to.
·
recognize that legal rights of privacy may limit the
extent to which information from publicly available sources may be further
used, disseminated or published.
·
communicate no information to others that is known to be
false, or without making reasonable efforts to determine its truth,
particularly information that may be derogatory.
·
are sensitive to the hurt that revelations of
criminal, immoral, bizarre or irresponsible behavior may bring to family
members.
Recommended by the National Genealogical
Society
Mindful
that computers are tools, genealogists take full responsibility for their work,
and therefore they—
·
learn the capabilities and limits of their equipment
and software, and use them only when they are the most appropriate tools for a
purpose.
·
do not accept uncritically the ability of
software to format, number, import, modify, check, chart or report their data,
and therefore carefully evaluate any resulting product.
·
treat compiled information from on-line sources or
digital databases in the same way as other published sources--useful primarily
as a guide to locating original records, but not as evidence for a conclusion
or assertion.
·
accept digital images or enhancements of an original
record as a satisfactory substitute for the original only when there is
reasonable assurance that the image accurately reproduces the unaltered
original.
·
cite sources for data obtained on-line or from digital
media with the same care that is appropriate for sources on paper and other
traditional media, and enter data into a digital database only when its source
can remain associated with it.
·
always cite the sources for information or data
posted on-line or sent to others, naming the author of a digital file as its
immediate source, while crediting original sources cited within the file.
·
preserve the integrity of their own databases by
evaluating the reliability of downloaded data before incorporating it into
their own files.
·
provide, whenever they alter data received in digital
form, a description of the change that will accompany the altered data whenever
it is shared with others.
·
actively oppose the proliferation of error, rumor and
fraud by personally verifying or correcting information, or noting it as
unverified, before passing it on to others.
·
treat people on-line as courteously and civilly as
they would treat them face-to-face, not separated by networks and anonymity.
·
accept that technology has not changed the principles
of genealogical research, only some of the procedures.
Recommended by the National Genealogical
Society
Remembering
always that they are engaged in a quest for truth, family history researchers
consistently—
·
record the source for each item of information they
collect.
·
test every hypothesis or theory against credible
evidence, and reject those that are not supported by the evidence.
·
seek original records, or reproduced images of them
when there is reasonable assurance they have not been altered, as the basis for
their research conclusions.
·
use compilations, communications and published
works, whether paper or electronic, primarily for their value as guides to
locating the original records, or as contributions to the critical analysis of
the evidence discussed in them.
·
state something as a fact only when it is supported
by convincing evidence, and identify the evidence when communicating the fact
to others.
·
limit with words like "probable" or
"possible" any statement that is based on less than convincing
evidence, and state the reasons for concluding that it is probable or possible.
·
avoid misleading other researchers by either
intentionally or carelessly distributing or publishing inaccurate information.
·
state carefully and honestly the results of their
own research, and acknowledge all use of other researchers’ work.
·
recognize the collegial nature of genealogical research
by making their work available to others through publication, or by placing
copies in appropriate libraries or repositories, and by welcoming critical
comment.
·
consider with open minds new evidence or the comments
of others on their work and the conclusions they have reached.
Recommended by the National Genealogical
Society
Faced
with ever-growing expectations for genealogical accuracy and reliability,
family historians concerned with improving their abilities will on a regular
basis—
·
study comprehensive texts and narrower-focus
articles and recordings covering genealogical methods in general and the
historical background and sources available for areas of particular research
interest, or to which their research findings have led them.
·
interact
with other genealogists and historians in person or electronically, mentoring
or learning as appropriate to their relative experience levels, and through the
shared experience contributing to the genealogical growth of all concerned.
·
subscribe to and read regularly at least two
genealogical journals that list a number of contributing or consulting editors,
or editorial board or committee members, and that require their authors to
respond to a critical review of each article before it is published.
·
participate in workshops, discussion groups, institutes,
conferences and other structured learning opportunities whenever possible.
·
recognize their limitations, undertaking research in new
areas or using new technology only after they master any additional knowledge
and skill needed and understand how to apply it to the new subject matter or
technology.
·
analyze critically at least quarterly the reported
research findings of another family historian, for whatever lessons may be
gleaned through the process.
·
join and participate actively in genealogical
societies covering countries, localities and topics where they have research
interests, as well as the localities where they reside, increasing the
resources available both to themselves and to future researchers.
·
review recently published basic texts to renew their
understanding of genealogical fundamentals as currently expressed and applied.
·
examine and revise their own earlier research in the
light of what they have learned through self-improvement activities, as a means
for applying their new-found knowledge and for improving the quality of their
work-product.
© 1997, 2002 by National Genealogical Society. Permission is
granted to copy or publish this material provided it is reproduced in its
entirety, including this notice.
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