RESEARCH IS MORE THAN A QUICK INTERNET DEFINITION

Too often a topic will come into a conversation. Someone looks up a quick fix on a cell phone. Now that's all is needed. Actually be careful as it is always important to validate the information with the source where it was obtained. Family historians or amateur genealogists know this. One must connect oneself with the ancestor by valid links and sources. Who did the research? What documents were used? Always cite your sources. Even when I wanted the certificate for the World War One ancestor from the OGA- Ontario Genealogical Society- I had to submit documents proving the link from me to the person. Research can be found everywhere- live people, libraries, books, articles and even the Internet. For this researcher many historical links have pamphlets and documents from obscure sources. Those primary references are so vital to research. Not just the quotes from them. Recently for example found a book online- History of Upper Canada by Caniff written in the 1800s with vital first hand information of the time- over 300 pages so difficult to print but can be accessed as needed. Books or documents for historians with primary resources are ways to check and validate information. Taking the same event and trying to find as many quotes and information linked to it. Archives will give a list of the resources but one must actually go to the archives to view them. There is something about seeing an original source. Fortunately for us the Internet does bring a "library" to one's desktop or laptop. The census records for example are accessible and with a click the original writing can be viewed. Why is this important? Too often the writing has been misinterpreted so viewing it and judging for oneself, for example, whether it is an r or s helps with the research. Experience teaches that indexes can be faulty too. So go back to the original source. The same principles apply to scientific, medical, psychological, business, english or any other discipline. Read the references of any source first hand and make your own conclusions. Quick definitions can be useful sometimes but if it becomes a habit be prepared for someone in the crowd to correct you with the deeper meaning. If there is someone who knows a topic perhaps put down the cell phone and ask intelligent questions of a live person. I have a scientist in my family group so I would rather ask him about certain topics then just the quick fix! How about you? What do you use for research? Who would you ask? Someone with experience can be a invaluable resource!!