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Step Four: Evaluate the Source & Information it Provides
While there are a growing number of Internet databases which provide access to scanned images of original documents, the vast majority of genealogy information on the Web comes from derivative sources - records which have been derived (copied, abstracted, transcribed, or summarized) from previously existing, original sources.


Understanding the difference between these different types of sources will help you best assess how to verify the information that you find.

• How close to the original record is your information source? If it is a photocopy, digital copy or microfilm copy of the original source, then it is likely to be a valid representation. Compiled records -- including abstracts, transcriptions, indexes, and published family histories -- are more likely to have missing information or transcription errors. Information from these types of derivative sources should be further traced back to the original source.
• Does the data come from primary information? This information, created at or close to the time of the event by someone with personal knowledge of the event (i.e. a birth date provided by the family doctor for the birth certificate), is generally more likely to be accurate. Secondary information, by contrast, is created a significant amount of time after an event occurred, or by a person who was not present at the event (i.e. a birth date listed on a death certificate by the daughter of the deceased). Primary information usually carries more weight than secondary information.

Step Five: Resolve Conflicts
You've found a birthdate online, checked out the original source and everything looks good. Yet, the date conflicts with other sources you've found for your ancestor. Does this mean that the new data is unreliable? Not necessarily. It just means that you now need to reevaluate each piece of evidence in terms of its likelihood to be accurate, the reason it was created in the first place, and its corroboration with other evidence.

• How many steps is the data from the original source? A database on Ancestry.com that is derived from a published book, which itself was compiled from original records means that the database on Ancestry is two steps away from the original source. Each additional step increases the likelihood of errors.
• When was the event recorded? Information recorded closer to the time of the event is more likely to be accurate.
• Did any time elapse between the event and the creation of the record that relates its details? Family bible entries may have been made at one sitting, rather than at the time of the actual events. A tombstone may have been placed on the grave of an ancestor years after her death. A delayed birth record may have been issued dozens of years after the actual birth.
• Does the document appear altered in any way? Different handwriting may mean that information was added after the fact. Digital photos may have been edited. It's not a normal occurence, but it does happen.
• What do others say about the source? If it is a published book or database rather than an original record, use an Internet search engine to see if anyone else has used or commented on that particular source. This is an especially good way to pinpoint sources which have a large number of errors or inconsistencies.

One last tip! Just because a source is published online by a reputable organization or corporation doesn't mean that the source itself has been vetted and verified. The accuracy of any database is, at its best, only as good as the original data source. Conversely, just because a fact appears on a personal page or the LDS Ancestral file, doesn't mean that it is more likely to be inaccurate. The validity of such information is largely dependent upon the care and skill of the researcher, and there are many excellent genealogists publishing their research online.
Happy hunting!