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Genealogical Research Standards 2 5

merely a slgbt balance one way or the other, is not good enough.
This is not just a semantic viewpoint. You should feel
convinced yourself that you have made the maximum effort
to support any argument or assertion you make, not stopping
your research when only one source tips the balance in favour
of a conclusion. Genealogy and family history are based on a
critical evaluation of sources, information and evidence.
And thus the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) was
developed as a stand-alone measurement for research
excellence, to meet the expectations of the genealogy
community (and which serious researchers were already
practising). The GPS posits five logical, progressive steps:

1. Making as wide a search as possible for sources of
potential information that will help establish events,
identities and relationships;
2. Recording along with our research the complete, proper
citation for each source we study;

3. Evaluating the source material and the quality of the
information it contains; correlating and analyzing the
collected information;
4. Resolving any apparent conflicts or contradictions;

5. Presenting a clear and convincing written conclusion.
The Beginning

Each part of family research begins with the name of an
ancestor and his or her position in the family charts. You
are going to build a collection of "identifiers" that distinguish
this individual, aiming to establish the unique BMD events.
Each time the name appears in a source, we need additional
identifiers to link the name to appearances in other records;