Joyce, Like you said, this is an intro. I would think the citations you insert into the body story would explain everything clearly. I like your intro and it would get my interest enough to continue reading.   At least you are moving forward.  I'm still struggling with details in my biography of an ancestor.  You motivate me to keep on.  Thanks!   Cheryl Proctor Southern Indiana ________________________________ From: J. Mulder <j.mulder@hotmail.com> To: transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com Sent: Friday, December 14, 2012 2:49 PM Subject: [TGF] Citations Needed or Not? I'm in the process of writing a (short) biography for one of my ancestors, Lodewijk Wesselo. It's almost finished, and I'm not going through it to make sure everything that needs a citation has one. But now I'm stumbling over several sentences in my introduction - or more accurately, over the question if I need to attach a citation to them. They are general sentences about his life, to catch the attention of the readers, and these events are named in more detail with proper citations in the biography. Below is the paragraph I'm talking about. [Preceding this paragraph, a paragraph long quote by Lodewijk Wesselo, with citation] Words written bij Lodewijk Wesselo in a letter to his brother Abraham Bernardus Wesselo, in which he tells of the bombardment of Rotterdam in May 1940 by German forces invading the Netherlands. By this time, Lodewijk had already lived through his share of ups and downs. During his life, he kept his faith throughout two world wars and one of the greatest floods the Netherlands has ever seen. He also experienced tragedy on a more personal scale, but his character and faith have helped him stand strong no matter how fierce the storm. his life's story, not even close to the end when the bombs were falling, starts many years earlier, back in 1875. [That ends the introduction, then a new "chapter" starts with: "Lodewijk, affectionately known as Lo, was born on 22 December 1875 in Voorschoten to Hendrik Wesselo and Alida Petronella van Grasstek." with a proper citation for this fact.] Now, there are several sentences in this paragraph that I am now thinking may need a citation. Or maybe not, since I don't exactly go into detail and I have them properly cited later on in the text when I do mention details. So I'm hesitating, about every sentence except for the first two of that paragraph, if I should add citations to them or not. What do you think? Joyce                         The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message