Speaker 1: This is the iCAPGEN video on Creating a Research Reference Guide. My name is Julie Stoddard and I am an accredited genealogist researcher specializing in the Mid-South region of the United States. Becoming accredited distinguishes the professional-level genealogist from the amateur, so the accreditation exams are rigorous and intensive. These test preparation steps will help you to not only be successful on the test, but also to become a better researcher. Why do we want to create a research reference guide? To begin with, it will benefit all your future research, not just your iCAPGEN test. For example, if we are researching for a client or for ourselves, having a research reference guide will let us research more effectively and with better accuracy. The first step of any research project should be gathering information about the locality and available records. For the iCAPGEN accreditation process, all three levels are open book, so you will be allowed to use your research reference guide on your Level 1 4-Generation project, as well as your Level 2 Document Interpretation and General Questions test, and your Level 3 4-Hour Final Project and then the Oral Review. This is important because Levels 2 and 3 are timed, and there will not be sufficient time during the test to research some of the more in-depth answers. And by having a research guide, you will be able to find the answers quickly and move on to the next question. As we continue through this webinar, it is important for you to remember that your research reference guide should be adapted to be something that works for you. So the first thing to consider would be the major categories to include in your reference guide. For the iCAPGEN testing, these are some suggested categories that would be covered on the test. First, State and Country Guides. Second, General History and Geography. Third, Research Methodology. Fourth, Record Types in your region. Fifth, Online Sources and Electronic Databases. Sixth, Document Interpretation Resources. And Seventh, Other Resources. The first category to consider is the State and Country Guides. For each iCAPGEN region, you will want information about each individual state or region, as well as a General Country Guide. You would want to include such things as when the year of independence was or the year it became a state, years of civil registration or when vital records began, also years of available censuses, and include federal, state, or territorial censuses. Also historical timelines can be useful for some of the questions. You would want to have links to the major archives and genealogical or historical societies and know what records are available there, especially online. Also include a list of major genealogical publications or other unique items, and then maps for your country, state, or counties, or other jurisdictions. And then, finally, what key records would be available online for your region. Here are some short sample entries condensed down to one page from a State Reference Guide for Kentucky. In the example, you can see these are based on the important record types for Kentucky, including the must-know, good working knowledge, and some familiarity categories. Here are some sample entries from a General U.S. Reference Guide. You can see how having these links and databases quickly available would benefit you during a test where they might ask you about a land record or a military record. The next major category to consider for your Research Reference Guide would be General History and Geography. You may want to include articles or links to historical background, timelines, maps and gazetteers, and migration trails. Next would be a section on research methodology. Methodology can be defined as using the best practices and strategies in deciding which records to use first and how to use them. You could make a quick reference sheet of methodologies that apply to your particular region. Here is an example of a methodology summary sheet on how to find a spouse or identify a maiden name. Number four is Important Record Types. The ICAP Gen testing regions each have three categories of important record types that you need to understand. Must-know very well, good working knowledge, and some familiarity. Here is an example of the important record types. These are from the mid-Atlantic states. The record types for each region can be found on ICAP Gen's website under Testing Regions. These important record types are major clues for your methodology and also for knowing which records to search first. Here are the important record types for the England region of research. As you gather information on the important record types for your region, you will want to make sure that you understand their content, for example, what is found in the records. Also their availability, and that would be especially what is available online. And finally, their coverage, for example, which dates and geographic areas do these record types cover in your area. You can check the regional resources for your region on the ICAP Gen's website under Testing Regions. The fifth category is Online Sources and Electronic Databases. For the ICAP Gen tests, you need to be aware of the major online collections for your region. These could be placed in the State and Country Reference section of your guide as well. You should be familiar with the paid larger sites, such as Ancestry and Find My Past, as well as the free and smaller sites, FamilySearch and other local sites that are available for your region. You could also include lists of the online resources of the archives, libraries, genealogical and historical societies for your area. Rule 2 of the ICAP Gen test includes a section on document interpretation. So another category to include in your research reference guide would be anything that would benefit you for that part of the test. You could include document samples, word lists, such as a Latin word list. You could also include paleography or handwriting samples. For the document interpretation part of a Level 2 exam, you may be given sample documents and be asked to identify what type of document it is. So it is good to include the various record types that would be listed on your important record type sheet. The final category to consider is Other Resources. You could include links or articles, unique sources, customs and laws from your area, lists of major periodicals, and also a list of key reference materials. Here are sample entries from key reference materials for a Southern U.S. reference guide. As mentioned before, it is important for both professional research and also to pass the ICAP Gen test to understand what is available in each of the record types. You could create a summary document, especially for the important record types, and include a general overview on the record type and also what or who you can find in the record, where you can find the records, and what dates they cover. Here is a different possible format for a summary document, and this one is on tax records. Where can you go to find the information to understand what's in the records? A great place to begin is the FamilySearch Research Wiki. You can see from this article on United States immigration and immigration that they go through in depth the various information you would need to understand. You can also see from the red arrow on the right side that they include articles on most of the major record types. There are a variety of possible formats that you can use to gather the information for your research reference guide. And as mentioned before, find the format that works best for you. One example would be digital files. You could use Microsoft Word or Evernote or a Google Doc to gather the information. This could be stored on a flash drive or online in the cloud. You could also print the information and use a physical binder to compile your resources or use a combination of both of these options. This example of a state reference guide on Kentucky was created using tables in Microsoft Word. The summary sheet on a record type was also created using Microsoft Word. Here are several examples of state reference guides that were created using Evernote. One of the major challenges that each genealogist faces is how to organize all the information that is gathered. Here is a possible way to organize the information you gather for your research reference guide. You could create a folder for each of the major categories in your guide and then the appropriate subfolders could go underneath. For example, on record types you could have a folder for census records and one for church records and each of the other important record types that you need to research and understand. Then under the subfolders you can include your own summary sheets and other articles or information you gather on the information you need to understand for your research. Now let's talk about where to find the information for your research reference guide. Start with the FamilySearch wiki and consider the various articles on both the locality you are considering and as well as their articles on methodology and record types. Also get very familiar with the Family History Library catalog and learn how to search in the various ways they offer including the ability to see what's available online. Also you need to be familiar with the major databases and their collections including Find My Past, FamilySearch, and Ancestry. Also there are many articles and links on Cindy's List and Linkpendium and then consider the many reference books or articles that have been published. You can also find information on the websites of the major repositories and libraries. For the United States, see the FamilySearch wiki article entitled United States Archives and Libraries. This article includes links to the various major repositories and also links to each individual state's page regarding their archives and libraries. There are also similar articles for other countries. If you are testing in a U.S. region, the National Genealogical Society publishes state guides for many of the states. These are a very concise and professional summary of the various record types and what is available and where to find them. They can be purchased on the NGS website in either a paperback or PDF format. If you're researching in other countries, there are many published books or articles or blogs that can also provide information in addition to the FamilySearch wiki. Another resource which every professional genealogist should be using on a regular basis is the catalogs of the major databases, including the Family History Library Catalog, FamilySearch Historical Records, Ancestry's Catalog, and FindMyPast Catalog. You need to know or be able to identify quickly what sources are available online in both non-profit and commercial databases. Whenever I am performing research for a client, or even for myself, I am using these catalogs throughout every project. These databases have so many collections that narrowing down your search by using their catalogs often can be more efficient than using the general search function, which may return thousands of results. To use the Family History Library Catalog, begin by trying a search using the keyword function. For example, in this case, we typed in Anson County, North Carolina land, and you can see in the image on the right some of the possibilities that came up for this search. Also near the bottom of that image, you notice there is an option to click on what's available online. This will quickly let you search through the easy to find records that are available in the Family History Library Catalog and on FamilySearch. If you are using FamilySearch's Historical Records, an easy way to see what collections are available so you can search them individually is by typing in the name of the country or state or county you are interested in searching. For example, in this case, we are looking for research in New Jersey, and as I type that name in the collection, I can see that there is a whole collection on New Jersey probate records. To search using Ancestry's Catalog, begin by clicking on the Search tab at the top of the page, and then choose Card Catalog. Then in either the title or keyword section, list the state or country or possibly even county of the collection you are interested in searching. You will notice one great thing about Ancestry's results is they even show you how many records are contained in each of those collections. To use the Catalog on Find My Past, you would click on the Search tab at the top of the page, and then choose the A-Z of Record Sets. At this point, you can type in the name of the state or country or even county that you are interested in searching, and this will bring up a list of the available collections for that area. Here is an example page from the NGS Research in the States Guide for Kentucky. I included this so you can see the specific and helpful information they include on the various record types. You'll notice the footnote at the bottom tells me where I can find this collection and includes a link directly to that collection. Here is a list of the commonly used U.S. reference books where you can find detailed information on various record types and other methodologies. This is a list of the major reference books for the British Isles. Becoming accredited distinguishes the professional level genealogist from the amateur. Part of the reason for this is because the time and effort spent to prepare for the test will not only help you be successful on the test, but you will also be a better researcher. You can see how creating a research reference guide will help your research in the future be much more efficient and also more successful. Thank you.