Q is for Quality

what we all strive for - quality in our genealogy

I am always fascinated when someone mentions how many individuals they have in their family database. In their race for big numbers (or quantity), they forget that research is necessary to flesh out those individuals in their family (quality). That is the difference between being a name collector and a genealogist. Conducting our research in a serious and thoughtful manner (getting it right) is what quality genealogy is all about. So what is quality genealogy and what features in Legacy help us achieve it?

Of course quality genealogy is a bit subjective but I think it means that we dive deep (we are looking for breadth and depth).

• We want to get those names, dates and places correct. 
• We want to ask and answer specific questions. 
• We want to build on a solid foundation - understanding the places and times our ancestors lived in so we research based on what was (take off those 21st century glasses and see life through their eyes). 
• We need to follow the clues, review the documents, and reach some preliminary conclusions. 
• We need to cite our sources and test our preliminary conclusions.
• We want to take advantage of original sources. 
• We want to continue to build on our strong foundation by finding new information as it becomes available (online and offline).
• We need to be willing to correct our errors and modify our conclusions when necessary.
• We need to understand that quality genealogy is a never ending quest!

These are some of the features in Legacy that I use to help me check the quality of my data entry and information. 

potential problems - a great way to check your work

make your list and then check it -
make corrections and clean up your Legacy database

the search feature provides lots of options
to look for what you are missing
focus on one area at a time to help you get through these projects

master lists - a quick scroll through
on a regular basis keeps these clean and tidy

Bottom line - quality depends on me, this is not a once and done project. What Legacy features do you use to help you check your work?

See you back here tomorrow for the letter R.