Editor’s note: This article was written by Zachary Matthews, BYU Intern for the Family History Guide Association.

You are at your computer, getting ready to do some genealogical research on your favorite website. You decided to go in a different direction today and look at your 5th great–grandmother’s uncle and his family. However, when you clicked on his profile, you see that he already has a lot of information, but there’s something wrong here. The information seems confusing and not as organized as you might have expected. What’s worse is that most of the information is not backed up with sources. You have no idea where it came from! Who made this up? For example, how can you know if a Frederick Jacques Thompson was actually born on 14 April 1784?

We have all had this scenario come up at least once, if not several times, and it can be quite frustrating. The search for validity in any given information can be seen through many aspects in our world today. We all want to know what is true and where we can find it. Fortunately, in genealogical research at least, there is a way to tell where that information comes from: source citations.

Citations are like a road map. They tell you exactly where you need to go and how to get there. When it comes to citing sources, you need to let other people know where you got the information and how to access the sources. Otherwise, it is like inviting someone to lunch but not telling them how to get there or even where it is located!

While some websites and software allow you to directly attach a source to a person, you might not be able to for a couple of reasons. One reason is that the information came from an oral interview with a family relative, or that it came from sources that could not be published online for copyright reasons. Another reason could be that the genealogical website that you
are using does not have that source available, but another website has it.

So, how do you cite sources? Once you find a source, you’ll need to gather data about the source itself and how it is presented. Here’s a basic list of things you’ll need to create a good citation:

• Who is the author/creator of the source?
• What is the name of the source?
• What kind of source is it? Is it a database, an image, a recording?
• If online, what’s the name of the website? What’s the URL?
• When was the source created/posted? When did you access it?
• What part of the source is your main focus? Or, in other words, where in the source can we find the specific information?
• If online, where did the website get the source?

Once you have that information, you need to present it in a simple format that is consistent and clear. Usually, the order of the list goes like this for an online source:

Author/Creator, “Name of Source/Collection,” Type of source, Website Name (URL:
[Date created/posted], accessed [date you accessed the source], specific point of source that you are referring to, and how the website got the information.

Once you have written the citations out, keep them in a safe and accessible place where you can pull them out when needed. I usually keep these citations as part of my research log so I know when I found the information that I am citing. Then, when you are ready to add the source to your genealogy, you can input the source citation for people to review themselves. If you need help with adding sources, The Family History Guide website has step–by–step guides
for FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FindMyPast.

Of course, there are various kinds of sources and many more ways of presenting these sources. Because of this, it may seem more difficult to know exactly how to cite your sources. The cool thing about this is that there is no one ‘right’ way to do it, just like there is no one right way to provide directions to the luncheon for your friend. As long as you are consistent in how you cite your sources and they are clear enough for people to find them themselves, you are doing great! If you want specific help with citing sources, I highly recommend buying a copy of Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Evidence Explained or borrowing one from your local library. Mills goes into detail for how to cite the many kinds of genealogical sources available. In addition, other online resources, such as The Family History Guide, are available to help you link information to sources.