13.1 Communication is Key

“Your actions can exert a positive influence far into the future. The choices that you make between now and the day that you depart this world have the power to leave a lasting legacy.... Choosing to build a legacy will bring purpose to your life.”1 –Barrie Davenport

If all genealogists did was complete searches and collect documents, then their time would be wasted. In order for the research to be productive, information needs to be communicated to others and preserved for future generations. This chapter tackles the communication element by giving instructions on how to create a genealogy research report. Some goals for the report are as follows:

• Genealogists’ writing should meet academic standards for writing about research findings and the genealogy field’s generally accepted standards.

• Reports should enable future researchers to replicate and verify—or overturn—research findings, reasoning, and conclusions.

• Genealogical writers lay trails of data presentation, documentation, and explanations within their reports.

• Writing should be interesting and engage readers with varying levels of expertise.2

Different types of genealogical reports serve different purposes. There are instances when compiled linages or traditional research reports are each the appropriate way to summarize, publish, and share the results of a research project. These reports may be enhanced with proof summaries3 that outline arguments and organize evidence for certain conclusions. Information about constructing a compiled linage is available from the Board for Certification of Genealogists.4 For this course, the focus is on developing a traditional research report because that format is familiar to budding historians.

Students who have been actively researching and completing their weekly assignments should have a solid research log with citations already created for records tied to the research family. The process of learning to use a research log may have been tedious, but now the hard work pays off. With a good research log, the report practically writes itself. Much of the information will be ideas that can be copied from the log and then expounded on and cited with footnotes. Those citations should have already been created during the research process, so they can easily be copied and pasted from the log. Students who are on track will already have completed family group records that are up to date, ready to print, and be submitted with the report. The family group records act as summaries of all research findings and include citations so individuals viewing the project can quickly find the original sources.