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Where we often used to talk about primary and
secondary sources when discussing records, their provenance and their value, we
now talk about whether documents are original or derivative and whether sources
are primary, secondary or tertiary.
Understanding
the types of records we use is critical to interpreting the information they
provide us. Was the information
collected in real-time and from someone involved? Was it collected later and something heard
third-hand?
Natalie
D. Cottrill has an excellent article at ProGenealogists, What
Every Genealogist Should Know ... About Original and Derivative Records and
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources of Information,
where she discusses this topic in great detail and with examples.
REMEMBER
-- Not all records are created equal!
Some
additional resources on this topic:
- Skillbuilding: Guidelines for Evaluating Genealogical Resources (BCG)
- Five Steps to Verifying Online Genealogy Sources (Kimberly Powell, About.com)
- Original or Derivative Source? Bible Records (Randy Seaver, Genea-Musings)
- Consider the Source: Original, Derivative, or Copy (Dick Eastman, Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter)
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The featured article refers to sources as primary and secondary. However, sources are original or derivative and information is primary or secondary.
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