Hi: Spotted this in the Ancestry.com newsletter. Acknowledgement is at the bottom. If you send it on to someone make sure that the bottom sentence is included. I especially want you to note this paragraph: "The National Genealogical Society lists http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/ fifteen tips for considerate family historians who wish to publish materials on the Internet. Another useful source for learning the basics of creating and publishing Web pages is located on Cyndi's List (http://www.cyndislist.com/construc.htm)." Worth bookmarking, I think. Regards, Nan [email protected] --------------------------------- ==================================================================== "TO PUBLISH OR NOT TO PUBLISH," by Ralph J. Crandall, Ph.D. ==================================================================== Genealogy is a uniquely collaborative pursuit. One genealogist's research provides valuable information that can be applied, interpreted, or cited by others. It is similar to a "pay it forward" exercise, where one person's efforts affect the research of several genealogists, which impacts the work of even more people. And so it continues, building upon itself until the entire genealogical community benefits. Perhaps you've worked on a genealogy for years and you're ready to show it to the world. Or you've deciphered an old document and want to share some exciting data you don't think others know about. Maybe you have an opinion about a problem or event that you'd like to present to a particular audience. What do you plan to do with your information? The most practical way to let other genealogists know about your research is to publish it. Seeing your name in print and knowing your work influences others can be rewarding. Conversely, dispersing shoddy conclusions or contributing inaccurate data to the genealogical pool can do a great deal of harm to your reputation and can affect the conscientious work of others. But maybe you have publishable data and you just don't know it. WHAT TO PUBLISH As any reader of this magazine knows, genealogical publishing does not center entirely on family group sheets and pedigree charts. In addition to the plethora of opinions and how-to information genealogists love to share, it is always exciting to discover pertinent, detailed information others have worked on in tandem with their genealogical work. While a compiled genealogy is the ultimate goal for many of us, we review so many sources in the research process that we often become experts on a given area. Publishing presents us with the opportunity to disseminate new-found knowledge to the genealogical field. As an example, let's say you've completed a genealogy on a Civil War widow in nineteenth-century Michigan. In addition to the compiled genealogy, you now have a wealth of information for the genealogical data pool. You have not only learned about this particular woman's family and her husband's family, but you may have also added items to your repertoire, each of which can be published to educate other researchers. Following is just a sampling of the many items you could share with researchers. --- Comparative data of a county's residents in the 1860 and 1870 censuses. While many men will have disappeared during that ten-year period for reasons other than war, reviewing such data could be a rewarding study. --- Military pension files of the widow's husband. By abstracting relevant data, a researcher could create valuable content to help others researching the same family lines. --- Church or vital records on a roll of microfilm. By publishing the transcription created from deciphering the handwriting on the records, you would save others the trouble of needlessly duplicating efforts. --- Westward migration details. Elaborate on your knowledge of migration with specific stories you gleaned while reviewing manuscript collections. --- Letters, diaries, and photographs. All such historical items can be abstracted and published. --- A comparison of several families based on family relationships or community connections. This information could be turned into an analytical article and could ultimately be published in a scholarly journal. WHERE TO PUBLISH Once you reach a point where you feel comfortable sharing your data, there are several places to publish your work. But before you publish, it's important to determine the target audience. Who will be most interested in your information? Family members? Scholars? Genealogists surfing the Internet? What you choose to publish can be as scholarly as you wish. You can choose whether to present raw data or you can add your interpretation of the data as well, depending on your target audience and where you will publish. Whether you have general genealogy ideas, interesting stories to tell, or an opinion to opine, consider your audience and where that audience will want to read your work. THE INTERNET The Internet is a vast repository in which to place your work. There, you are unlimited in disseminating your information to any number of people. Publishing information online also yields the quickest results and leads to nearly instant interaction with those who read your documents and family history. One drawback to Internet publishing is that anyone can say anything in any way, unedited and untested. (And yet, so many genealogists rely on the Internet for content and proof of relations that it has become a primary research tool.) Privacy issues are paramount when publishing anywhere, but most especially when publishing on the Internet. Be careful about what information you disseminate. Respect the privacy of living people, as well as their immediate relations. Honor the English language. Some of the most frequently misspelled genealogy-related terms are those that are most frequently used, such as "genealogy" and "cemetery." Proper grammar and spelling can make or break credibility. The National Genealogical Society lists http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/ fifteen tips for considerate family historians who wish to publish materials on the Internet. Another useful source for learning the basics of creating and publishing Web pages is located on Cyndi's List (http://www.cyndislist.com/construc.htm). In addition to launching a personal Web site, you may wish to contact an appropriate historical society, a related family association, or even the local public library about publishing on its Web site. There is usually a great deal of interest within these organizations to add content to their Web pages. A genealogical Web site such as The USGenWeb Project is an excellent starting place. You may find a project in progress that you'd like to help with and lend your name to, or there might be another place for your work within the site. Once you post content on a Web site, let other genealogists know about it via mailing lists, e-mail, etc. A good starting place is at RootsWeb. NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS If you believe you have an interesting story to share with a particular community, contact the editor of the community's local newspaper. Editors are often looking for good information to add to their lifestyle pages. History, when presented in an interesting manner, always sells. In addition, historical societies and family associations generally have newsletters and are looking for interesting and pertinent content from members. Join and publish. National magazines like "Ancestry," "New England Ancestors," "Family Chronicle," and many others rely on articles written by professionals in the field, but they will accept well-written, accurate, and informative submissions on an unsolicited basis. Scholarly periodicals like "The New England Historical and Genealogical Register," the "National Genealogical Society Quarterly," "The American Genealogist," and journals of respected regional societies also accept submissions. If you feel your conclusions are noteworthy or have an academic slant, you may wish to consider submitting them for publication in a periodical. MONOGRAPHS AND BOOKS Perhaps you've accumulated so much information that you want to publish a book. Here, too, there are many options. You may self- publish by printing your work from your computer and making copies for your relatives and favorite historical societies. Or you may want to approach a small publishing house or vanity press. Larger genealogical companies and societies, including The Newbury Street Press and Gateway Press, have publishing departments. You may also be surprised to find a plethora of publishing companies with a genealogical or family history focus simply by searching online. PUBLISHING GUIDELINES As previously stated, one person's work can ultimately benefit genealogists throughout the world. However, that statement is true only if the work is based on sound genealogical principles. The flip side is that false or poorly researched information can likewise infect the entire genealogical community, spreading quickly and doing a lot of harm, especially on the Internet. It is therefore essential that any work placed on the Internet or in a print medium is thoroughly scrutinized for inaccuracies. Likewise, it is imperative that as a user of information, a genealogist double-checks the accuracy of every fact he or she uses. As I outlined in the article "Compiled Genealogies: Re-evaluating the 'Facts'" (Ancestry, Mar/Apr 2000 http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/2507.asp), there are several steps you can take to ensure that you are presenting credible data. You will also find helpful information about genealogical standards on the NGS and Cyndi's List Web sites listed above. None of us are in genealogy on our own. Once you find yourself in a position to publish, you will be amazed at the number of people willing to help you present things properly. After you publish, you will not only discover that your work moves forward quickly into the larger realm of the genealogical data pool, but also that a lot of good will return to you. There is benefit for others as you "pay it forward," but watch for your own rewards as your published information returns to you in ways you never imagined. ____________________________________________________________________ Ralph J. Crandall, Ph.D., is the executive director of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. He can be contacted through the Society's Web site at http://www.newenglandancestors.org The above article originally appeared in "Ancestry" Magazine, March/April 2001, Vol. 19, No. 2.