Family History Research

As a member of APG, I agree to the APG Code of Ethics and Professional Practices:

1. Communicate genealogical work in a clear, well-organized manner using evidence from reliable and fully cited sources, giving proper credit to work that is not my own, without withholding or knowingly misrepresenting sources or data;

2. Represent my abilities, credentials and services accurately, and avoid the use of misleading or exaggerated statements;

3. Engage in sufficient continuing education to maintain competence and comply with applicable requirements;

4. Prepare and abide by written agreements regarding scope, timeframes, deliverables, fees, expenses, payment structures, ownership and disclosure, while keeping the client informed of progress or delays;

5. Disclose potential conflicts of interest;

6. Take appropriate measures to safeguard information concerning living people, to maintain confidentiality of data, research, and client communications, and to obtain informed consent before using or publicly sharing information;

7. Comply with terms of service, privacy policies, laws and regulations, and applicable rules and guidelines, including those concerning copyright, privacy, data protection, and business practices, and refrain from encouraging others to violate them;

8. Refrain from mutilating or rearranging records, or removing them from their proper custodians;

9. Refrain from soliciting established clients of another researcher through denigration or other improper means;

10. Treat other genealogists, genealogical organizations, and the profession with civility and respect, engaging in fair criticism while refraining from statements that malign or purposely injure.

Although I am not yet Board Certified, I abide by the BCG Code of Ethics and Genealogical Proof Standards as stated here.

Code of Ethics

To protect the public

• I will not publish or publicize as a fact anything I know to be false, doubtful or unproved; nor will I be a party, directly or indirectly, to such action by others.

• I will identify my sources for all information and cite only those I have personally used.

• I will quote sources precisely, avoiding any alterations that I do not clearly identify as editorial interpretations.

• I will present the purpose, practice, scope, and possibilities of genealogical research within a realistic framework.

• I will delineate my abilities, publications, and/or fees in a true and realistic fashion.

• I will not publish any personal, genealogical, or genetic information disclosed to me unless I have informed consent or omit personally identifying detail. I will also treat publicly available information about living people with sensitivity and will not publish any information with foreseeable potential for harm.

 To protect the client (paying or pro bono)

• I will reveal to the client any personal or financial interests that might compromise my professional obligations.

• I will undertake paid research commissions only after a clear agreement as to scope and fee.

• I will, to the best of my abilities, address my research to the issue raised by the client and report to that question.

• I will seek from the client all prior information and documentation related to the research and will not knowingly repeat the work as billable hours without explanation as to good cause.

• I will furnish only facts I can substantiate with adequate documentation; and I will not withhold any data necessary for the client’s purpose.

• If the research question involves analysis of data in order to establish a genealogical relationship or identity, I will report that the conclusions are based on the weight of the available evidence and that absolute proof of genealogical relationships is usually not possible.

• If I cannot resolve a research problem within the limitations of time or budget established by contract, I will explain the reasons why.

• If other feasible avenues are available, I will suggest them; but I will not misrepresent the possibilities of additional research.

• I will return any advance payment that exceeds the hours and expenses incurred.

• I will not publish or circulate reports in which a client or colleague has a proprietary interest without that person’s informed consent. I will respect this interest whether my report was made directly to the client or to an employer or agent.

To protect the profession

• I will act, speak, and write in a manner I believe to be in the best interests of the profession and scholarship of genealogy.

• I will participate in exposing genealogical fraud; but I will not otherwise knowingly injure or attempt to injure the reputation, prospects, or practice of another genealogist.

• I will not attempt to supplant another genealogist already employed by a client or agency. I will substitute for another researcher only with specific, written consent of and instructions provided by the client or agency.

• I will not represent as my own the work of another. This includes works that are copyrighted, in the public domain, or unpublished. This pledge includes reports, lecture materials, audio/visual tapes, compiled records, and authored essays.

• I will not reproduce for public dissemination, in an oral or written fashion, the work of another genealogist, writer, or lecturer without that person’s written consent. In citing another’s work, I will give proper credit.

To protect people who provide DNA samples

• When seeking DNA from a living person for genealogical research, I will explain

a) how I would use and share their genetic information and the risks and benefits of that use and sharing;

b) the possibility and consequences of discovering unanticipated relatives, unknown medical conditions, unexpected ethnic backgrounds, and intentional misinformation about such situations;

c) options for openness and privacy, how other researchers could or could not access the data; and why complete anonymity and privacy can never be guaranteed.

After providing this information, I will request and comply with the consent, freely given by the person providing the DNA sample or that person’s guardian or legal representative.

• When working with DNA test results of living people, I will not publish personally identifying information without each test taker’s consent. I will not privately share a match list without the list owner’s consent. If I have the list owner’s consent, I may privately share details of a match without the match’s consent.

Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)

To reach a sound conclusion, we need to meet all five components of the GPS.

1. Reasonably exhaustive research.

2. Complete and accurate source citations.

3. Thorough analysis and correlation.

4. Resolution of conflicting evidence.

5. Soundly written conclusion based on the strongest evidence.[3]

The GPS overarches all of the documentation, research, and writing standards described in Genealogy Standards, and is applied across the board in all genealogical research to measure the credibility of conclusions about ancestral identities, relationships, and life events.[4]