Sources of Information for a United States Record Type Article

FamilySearch Wiki contributors who want to help with an article about a type of U.S. record (like census records) often ask "Where should I look for information on this type of record, and how will I know when the article is 'done'?" This article is an attempt to help with these issues.

Major sources for information about U.S. records
The following sources are some of the major ones that may merit consideration in order to glean adequate information about a record type. The list isn't meant to be comprehensive or set in stone.


 * 1) Major Websites containing data sets or digitized images (Ancestry, FamilySearch Record Search, Heritage Quest Online, etc.)
 * 2) Digitized records sites such as Record Search and Ancestry
 * 3) Family History Library Internet Explorer favorites
 * 4) Statewide Indexes pages for each state on FamilySearch Internet
 * 5) Link the article's book references to Google Books, BYU Digital Archives, and OCLC/Worldcat. (How about Family History Library Catalog?)
 * 6) Information from current research methodology providers
 * 7) Information compiled by the Describe team at FamilySearch for Record Search
 * 8) "Travelers" information compiled by Commection Management at FamilySearch.
 * 9) FamilySearch Source Guide
 * 10) FamilySearch Research Guidance
 * 11) Ancestry's The Source
 * 12) Ancestry's Printed Sources
 * 13) Everton's Handy Book
 * 14) Ancestry's Red Book
 * 15) Greenwood's The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy
 * 16) U.S. GenWeb
 * 17) Google search specific to the record type
 * 18) Cyndi's List page specific to the locality and record type
 * 19) Periodical Source Index (especially useful for counties before 1900)
 * 20) Major local repositories. (So when writing about Maryland Census records, you'd mention the state archives and the National Archives, which is close by.)

Success Criteria
The abovementioned sources are consulted to compile the information for the articles all the way to the state level. In addition:


 * 1) Internal and external links
 * 2) Good source notes
 * 3) Vetted headings

How to flag customers that an article has been thoroughly revised

 * The History page isn't enough of an indicator of thoroughness because most users don't know about it.
 * Can a "last edited on..." date be appended to the bottom of a page? (Even if it's possible, it's probably not enough.)
 * Should the article contain some kind of icon that indicates it has been overhauled?