The Bcg Genealogical Standards Manual [Paperback]

Board for Certification of Genealogists (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0916489922 | ISBN-13: 978-0916489922 | Publication Date: August 1, 2000

Achieve excellence in genealogical research & presentation.

In a field where there is such a tremendous exchange of vital information, research and documentation standards are not only a convenience, they're an absolute must! Family historians exchange research with countless others in countless ways. We copy information from books and databases, correspond with libraries, societies, and government offices. At times we even hire professionals to do legwork in distant areas, trusting them to solve important problems.

Achieving Reliability & Consistency

So how can a researcher be assured that he or she is producing or receiving reliable results? This official manual from the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) provides solid, time-honored standards by which all genealogists can pattern their work. These standards of competence extend to all phases of a research project:

- Collecting the information
- Evaluating the evidence
- Compiling the results

They also apply to all phases of teaching:

- Lecturing
- Presenting classroom sessions
- Preparing written instructional materials

Who Needs It?

Experienced Genealogists preparing for Certification Beginning & Intermediate family historians concerned about improving the quality of their research and documentation skills Instructors, lecturers, and authors teaching others how to conduct genealogical research Since its foundation in 1964, the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) has promoted-in lectures and publications-attainable, uniform standards of competence and ethics that have become generally accepted throughout the field. This latest edition of the BCG Standards Manual has been painstakingly prepared to clarify, codify, and organize the standards and make them readily accessible to all.

"Anyone who wants to become a certified genealogist will need to read this book. Every other genealogist should read this book to see "how the pros do it. "Every genealogy software developer should read this book to see how printed reports are to be created. I would also suggest that every beginning genealogist should read this manual to see how to do it the right way." I wish I had read a book like this when I first started researching my family tree!" --Dick Eastman

113 Pages. 8.5" x 11" Paperback

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anyone who wants to become a certified genealogist will need to read this book. " -- Dick Eastman

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

For all genealogists looking to become certified or upgrade research skills, the official standards manual provides a pattern for your work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Ancestry.com (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916489922
• ISBN-13: 978-0916489922
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Education & Reference > Genealogy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doing genealogy the right way, January 4, 2001

By 

Mark Howells (Puyallup, Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bcg Genealogical Standards Manual (Paperback)

Since its start in 1964, the Board for Certification of Genealogists has promoted standards of competence and ethics in genealogy designed to protect the public, the consumer, and the profession of genealogy.

This excellent book from the BCG distills these standards into clear statements regarding:

Genealogical Research - genealogical proof, data collection, evidence evaluation, & compilations. (If any of these terms are unfamiliar to you, this book might be a real eye-opener.)

Genealogical Teaching - for lecturers, instructors & educational writers.

Continuing Education in Genealogy.

The bulk of the book is in its excellent appendices where examples of genealogical reports, proof summaries, compiled lineages, pedigrees, and genealogies are given to clearly illustrate what good genealogy looks like.

This book is great for measuring yourself against how the very best genealogists conduct and report their research. Seeing how proper genealogy should be done makes us all better genealogists.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely essential for any genealogist!, July 22, 2002

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Bcg Genealogical Standards Manual (Paperback)

If you're serious about the research you do on your family's history -- if you're not satisfied with merely collecting names, if you expect to see proof for statements made by other researchers, if you want those who come after you to be able to pick up where you've left off -- then this review can be boiled down a simple statement: Read this book. Buy it, consult it regularly, learn its principles. Since 1964, the BCG has developed and promulgated reliable methods for genealogical research, standards for proof, and a code of ethics for genealogists. This Manual is designed to clarify, codify, and present these standards in an easily accessible form. The first section presents standards for genealogical proof, data collection, and evaluation of evidence, the second lays out standards for genealogical instructors, lecturers, and authors, and the third discusses continuing genealogical education. These are followed by seven lengthy appendices that give examples of lineage compilations and the proof summaries that should accompany them, the most widely accepted formats for lineage publication, and researcher client reports -- which are a very useful tool even if you're only doing research for yourself. There certainly are thousands of books out there begging genealogists to buy them, but the "essential" bookshelf for American researchers is really rather small: _The Source,_ Greenwood's _Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy,_ Everton's _Handybook,_ perhaps _Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives,_ and a few others. The _Manual_ should be on that shelf.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual, January 11, 2007

By 

Beverly R. Conolly (Gainesville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bcg Genealogical Standards Manual (Paperback)

This book should be read and on the library shelf of every "non professional" genealogist. I can't recommend it highly enough, especially for anyone who is the least bit interested in genealogy. It helps to turn a "myth" into a "fact".