Certification: It's Not All About Writing and Citing

Please welcome guest blogger Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG^SM, CGL^SM

 © 2013 by the National Genealogical Society, Inc.

Used by permission of the National Genealogical Society

and the photographer, Scott Stewart.

Certification: A Measure of Our APR

Today's hot topic seems to be Board certification and what it represents. Some opine that 'it's all about writing and citing, as opposed to sources.'

I see it differently. BCG certification is 'all about' analysis and problem resolution. It's about

1. our ability to analyze a research problem;
2. our ability to analyze and interpret the relevant records we find; and
3. our ability to analyze the body of evidence we've accumulated and reliably determine when and whether it resolves a difficult problem.

Of course, none of this is possible without a solid knowledge of sources for each problem. Of course, writing is the tool we use to explain our analyses. Of course, citations are needed to identify our evidence. However, as with our financial investments, the bottom line for our genealogical offerings is always our APR—our skills at analysis and problem resolution—and the level of security it represents. That is what a BCG credential represents.

Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG
Board-certified since 1976