I have learned by experience that what you
found on the Internet yesterday may have a new web address (URL) today,
or be gone entirely tomorrow. When I first began using Internet sources years
ago I normally just copied and pasted the information into my genealogy
program. If I was being particularly conscientious, I would include the Web
page as a source of information -- which is how I came to find out that Web
pages addresses change or disappear altogether.
I now print out Web pages that are key sources of information so that I can
file the "hard copy" with my research extracts and photocopies. Here are some
tips:
• Be sure to include the Web page title
or description, URL, copyright information and date you accessed the
page.
• Web sites often have information about the sources used in creating their
databases, which I include with my print outs. For example, I like
information from Ancestry.com because it documents its online
databases with a full description as well as complete source information.
• If a Web page has a "printer-friendly" version, use it to print your
copy. You can find printer-friendly links at many Web sites, including
Ancestry.com and FamilySearch Internet.
• Short Web pages pages can be printed out from your browser by simply
clicking on the browser's print button.
• If a Web page is too big to conveniently print try one of these
approaches:
1) Select (highlight) the portion you want, then click on File and
select Print. When the Print screen opens, look under Page
Range and choose Selection and then click Print. This
approach is also handy when the right edge of a Web page is missing from a
print out.
2) Copy and paste the selected text into a
word processing document. Be sure
to also copy the Web page title or description, URL, copyright
information and date you accessed the page. To maintain the integrity of the
Web source, avoid any corrections to spelling or other changes that alter
the information as it is given on the Web page.
• If information comes from digital data a CD or diskette, I follow these
same general guidelines. The program that reads the disk usually has a way
to select specific records and print them out. The print outs automatically
include the CD title and publisher information. Good examples include the
Family Archive Viewer (for CDs published by Broderbund) and Family
History Resource File Viewer (for CDs published by the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter~ day Saints).
Keep in mind that genealogy Web pages and
digital information on disks are almost always secondary sources that need
verification. An exception is a scanned image of an original source.
Be sure to cite your sources as you enter data into Legacy. There are some
great examples, including Web page sources, at
http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/tipsSourceSamples.asp. In addition,
Legacy's Ultimate Guide to Sources Training CD shows you the value of
effectively entering sources in Legacy and how to do it step~ by~ step.
More information is available at
http://www.legacyfamilytreestore.com/.
Legacy News Editor
How to Handle Online Sources
