FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject FamilySearch Historical Records/Guidelines for Articles

'We need your help! Below is a style guide to assist you in editing and authoring desciptions of wiki articles that describe FamilySearch digital collections.'

Some style notes:
'FamilySearch Collections are currently found in the Record Search pilot site which will be added to the new version of FamilySearch.org that is scheduled to be released in the near future. At that time the phrase "Record Search pilot" will not be used.'

''Wiki articles that are created to describe FamilySearch Collections are written to assist wiki users who may or may not be genealogical experts. The articles should be written at a 5th or 6th grade reading level, using simple words. Descriptions of each section of a Family Search Collection are listed below. With the exception of the title, the headers represent the format used by the User Guidance Unit to create wiki articles.''

Title
Include in the title:

Name of the locality, beginning with the smallest and ending with the largest locality. Country names should be listed, with the exception of the United States and Canada.

Dates for census records only

Record type and name of the denomination or specific religious organization

The phrase (FamilySearch Collections)

Template
Members of the User Guidance Unit will add the required Collection Identification number to the Record Search article template. The template brands the article as describing a collection from the FamilySearch website and will create links to digital collections. The template format allows for as many as 9 collections.

Foreign Language Title
List the title of the collection in the language of the records.

Collection Time Period
Describe the dates covered by the collection.

Record History
Describe the history of the collection, which might include information about a set of records, localities, and religious or ethnic groups. The provenance or history of the collection itself can also be described in this section of the article.

Why this Record Was Created
This section should explain the original intent of the creation of a specific collection.

Record Reliability
Describe how reliable a collection is and whether there are known issues with the accuracy or the collection.

Record Description
Describe the physical state of the images. This may include information about water damage or burns suffered by the data original collection.

Images
Samples of images from the collection will be added to this section in galleries. Foreign language images may include callouts of major phrases in the document or a translation of the document.

Record Content
This section includes headers for the major genealogical items within each collection. A phrase similar to "Most (record type) contain the following important genealogical facts, such as:" This phrase should be followed by the significant genealogical data found in the records usually in the form of a bulleted list. Some collections contain several types of records and may need a list for each record type.

How to Use the Record
Explain to wiki users how the record can be used to help them find out more about their ancestors. Describe research strategies that are helpful when dealing with the collection. Explain what the next step would generally be in order to follow on the information obtained in the collection. If describing an index. describe how to find the records that were indexed in the collection.

How Has This Article Helped You?
The User Guidance Unit has created this section of the article to encourage wiki users to send feedback. It is designed as a link that will take patrons to the FamilySearch Collection Feedback page. The section consists of the following link that takes wiki users to the FamilySearch Collection Feedback wiki article:

Create the link using this phrase: Send us your story

Related Websites:
List websites outside of the wiki that contain information related to the collection being described. Addresses and other information about an archive or other site could be added to this section of the wiki article as well.

A sentence is input into this section by the User Guidance Unit to encourage wiki users to add helpful wiki sites. If you feel that the correct websites have been added, feel free to delete the sentence, which reads:

'''This section of the article is incomplete. You can help FamilySearch Wiki by supplying links to related websites here.'''

Related Wiki Articles:
Create internal links to wiki articles that contain information or records related to the collection being described.

Sources of This Collection:
The User Guidance Unit has developed a format based on the book "Evidence Explained" by Elizabeth Shown Mills to describe the collection as published in FamilySearch.org, the original records, and microfilms created by the Genealogical Society of Utah from which digital collections were created.

Items to include in a source description for collections published as part of FamilySearch.org:

o Title of the Record Search collection in quotations followed by a comma o The word database, followed by a comma o Name of the database, in this case, FamilySearch Record Search o URL for the main page of Record Search in parenthesis : (http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch) followed by a comma, o Date of publication in Record Search, followed by a semicolon (most dates will be 2009 at this point) o The word from o Creator or custodian of the originals followed by a period. o Record group or series title (archival title) followed by a period. If the collection was digitized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from FHL microfilms, add this data to the source citation:

• Microfilm description for scanned images: (this data will come from the catalog record for the films) o Title of the collection o Foreign language of the title of the collection in parenthesis o Location of the originals o Phrase FHL microfilm o Number of reels o Family History Library o Salt Lake City, Utah Example:

o “Alabama Statewide Deaths, 1908-1974,” database, FamilySearch Record Search (http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch), 2009; from Alabama Department of Health. Alabama Death Certificates, 1908-1974. Alabama Department of Health, Montgomery. FHL microfilm, 722 reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

When citing multiple sources, use bullets to separate them.

How to Cite Your Sources:
This section consists of a link to the existing Cite Your Sources Template. the link phrase should appear as:

For Instructions on citing specific records or images within this collection.

It should be followed by the sentence: A full bibliographic record is available in the Family History Library Catalog.