Source notes leave a path for your future self
Sources are not decorations added after writing. They explain why you make a claim, how another person can find the same material, and how you can check your interpretation three months later. Record them upon finding a photograph, interview, or entry rather than trying to recall every visited page afterward. The National Archives’ citation guidance covers different material types.[1] Beginners need not master complex formatting immediately, but should prioritize location. Give the material a stable identifier and record creator, title or type, date, precise location, holder, and access route. A missing punctuation mark will not invalidate research; a missing page may prevent checking a crucial judgment.
Distinguish material, information, and conclusion
A family letter is material; “I have arrived in Shanghai” is information; the researcher’s claim that residence in Shanghai began then is a conclusion. Do not combine those layers in one source field. Material may faithfully preserve an inaccurate statement, and arrival may mean a short stay rather than long-term residence. Keep a material inventory, information extracts, and assessment notes separately. Preserve exact wording where possible and point to page, line, or recording time. In assessments, state reasoning, limits, and next steps. If the residence conclusion changes later, letter and wording survive, while the mistaken conclusion does not remain hidden in an apparently objective table. Source notes help locate evidence and reveal when interpretation went beyond it.
Different materials need different location details
For public archives, record institution, collection or series, reference number, volume, and page or image position. For family objects, record holder, item identifier, acquisition date, and original location. Interviews need speaker, interviewer, date, recording identifier, and time position. Webpages need title, publishing institution, link, and access date. Describe an untitled letter neutrally as one person’s letter to another, rather than replacing the object with a conclusion such as “proof of migration.” Institutions use different numbering structures; preserve them without forcing one format. If a platform supplies both image sequence and printed page, keep both because different viewing methods may reveal only one.
State exactly what you examined
Say index when you saw an index, digital image when you saw an image, and original consulted only when you examined the original. Indexes, transcriptions, extracts, and images may refer to one object without being interchangeable. The National Archives’ genealogy entry point explains that online searching and holdings are reached through different tools and partners.[2] Record both the platform where you found material and the original collection it claims to cite. If an image is inaccessible, state “index only at present” and list fields still requiring verification. If you read an article quoting a letter, identify the article as your immediate source rather than imply that you examined the letter. An honest account of access is more valuable than a formal-looking citation that exaggerates it.
Fictional case: the source trail for an address
This case is fictional. A database index appears to place Zhao Yun in Willow Lane, and you save screenshot Search 08. The image shows Willow Lane is the sender’s address and Zhao Yun is the recipient. Keep the index-image relationship in the source inventory, change the extract to “envelope gives sender’s address as Willow Lane,” and withdraw Zhao Yun’s residence claim in the assessment. A relative then supplies another letter signed by Zhao Yun saying “I still live in the old place” without identifying it. That is a new clue, not a reason to restore Willow Lane automatically. If the first note merely said “Zhao Yun, Willow Lane, internet,” correction would be difficult. Precise location and wording reveal a field-interpretation error without requiring doubt about the whole envelope’s authenticity.
Record unsuccessful searches
A research log also records what was not found. Include database or archival scope, search terms, date interval, fields, access date, and results rather than only “no result.” Note index coverage, variants searched, and inaccessible or undigitized portions. An absence applies to that scope and does not directly establish nonexistence. In a fictional example, not finding a person in surviving school registers for 1940–1942 supports only that limited absence, not that they never enrolled. Make the next action specific, such as checking whether a 1939 register survives. Logs reduce repeated work and stop a narrow search being remembered as comprehensive. Unsuccessful searches also define reasonable research boundaries.
Link filenames to source identifiers
Source identifiers should stand apart from judgments: Letter 012 rather than “confirmed grandfather migration.” Add the identifier to images, transcriptions, and notes, with an inventory explaining relationships. Keep original versions and date revised files with a record of changes. A web link should not be the only locator: pages move, while titles, institutions, reference numbers, and local notes remain useful. A screenshot likewise cannot replace full source information because it may omit headers, pages, or context. For restricted material, an inventory can record location without disclosing content. Separate custody and citation: relatives can know an item exists without automatically having permission to share its contents with everyone.
Let readers travel from story back to evidence
Attach source numbers to key facts in an article instead of giving one vague note to a paragraph covering birth, migration, and work. Research notes can map each conclusion to material and identify editorial interpretations. General readers need not see every worksheet, but should understand evidential strength; those who want to check should have a route. Finally, check whether each citation supports the nearby sentence, claims access to an unseen original, or omits a material limitation. Before Us stories can be warm without making sources disappear. When relatives know a detail came from a particular letter or conversation, they see both information and how memory was preserved, passed on, and treated with care.
Sources
Explore these institutions’ guidance and check collection coverage and original records.
- National Archives: Citing Recordswww.archives.gov
- National Archives: Genealogy Resourceswww.archives.gov