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Workshop: Using the Genealogical Proof Standard
Objectives
- Learn to use the GPS
- Apply the GPS to existing Geni profiles
- Utilize the GPS to solve genealogy problems
- Do we need to evolve Geni specific "best practices"?
Methods
- Start a new discussion for each case, be sure to link the Geni profile
- Ask general questions
- Share your own successes / failures using GPS
- Make suggestions for peer review practices
Results
- "The GPS guides you to a place where anyone who looks at your sources and follows your reasoning will come to the same conclusion you did as being the most probable (most likely)."
The Genealogical Proof Standard
From https://www.geni.com/discussions/177506?msg=1197361
As genealogists we strive to do quality work. How many of us on Geni follow the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)? Probably most experienced genealogists do, but probably many novice genealogists have never heard of it.
Proof is a fundamental concept in genealogy. In order to merit confidence, each conclusion about an ancestor must have sufficient credibility to be accepted as proved. -- Board for Certification of Genealogists
Here's a brief video introduction to the Genealogical Proof Standard (24 minutes) https://youtu.be/ZfR2yLsXu88
The elements are:
1. A thorough and reasonably exhaustive search for all relevant information regarding an individual or family https://youtu.be/TG_fJMCFmt4
2. A comprehensive analysis of all of the available information on an individual or family as to its quality and believability or accuracy as evidence https://youtu.be/Vn7rrAP9xIM
3. A logical and truthful resolution of any conflicting or contradictory evidence discovered https://youtu.be/t2cZyme18v4
4. A complete and accurately phrased citation for each source used in your research, with a footnote attaching each source to its use in your research notes or writings https://youtu.be/D8WlI7D3eBE
5. A sound, exhaustively researched conclusion regarding your research based on all of the evidence you have discovered and analyzed https://youtu.be/nfvwebTL-Hw
The book: Genealogy Standards (50th Anniversary Edition), compiled by Board for Certification of Genealogists (2014). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20447160-genealogy-standards
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genealogical_Proof_Standard
further reading
- Understanding the Genealogical Proof Standard Part 1 - Understanding the Genealogical Proof Standard
- Understanding the Genealogical Proof Standard Part 2 - 3 Ways to Ensure Your Research Meets the Genealogical Proof Standard
- Understanding the Genealogical Proof Standard Part 3 - How to Successfully Apply the Genealogical Proof Standard
- DNA and the GPS " .... a question that leaves The Legal Genealogist utterly baffled ..."
- Source Citations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly blog
- Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace blog