10/1/2004
By Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Ask yourself these questions to judge the reliability of online genealogy data.
Once you track down the sources of online data, ask these questions to judge how reliable they are:
•
How close to the original record is the copy you're looking at? Is it a
photocopy, microfilm copy or digitized version of the original
document? Or is it an abstract or database entry with only partial
information and possibly transcription errors?