The Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) has announced the standards manual it recently revised to address use of DNA will now be used for evaluation purposes.
Effective 15 May 2019, new applications for certification will be evaluated against the second edition of Genealogy Standards, released by BCG in March. Individuals who have already submitted a preliminary application are exempt from this change unless they elect otherwise or apply for an extension. The second edition of Genealogy Standards will also be used to evaluate the work of existing BCG associates whose renewal applications are due after 15 May 2020.
BCG's announcement is accompanied by release of a new application guide. The new guide has been updated to reflect the new standard manual's renumbering of many standards. The guide also introduces two major changes. It eliminates the applicant-supplied document requirement and the option to submit a portfolio by mail. The rubrics, an evaluation tool used by BCG's judges, have been similarly revised. The BCG Application Guide, 2019 edition, and the revised rubrics can be downloaded from the BCG website for free.
To help researchers familiarize themselves with the recent changes, BCG has also released a chart that compares the new and old standards. It can be downloaded from the "Application Process" page of BCG's website at https://bcgcertification.org/process/ .
First published in 2014, Genealogy Standards begins with the simple fact that accuracy is fundamental to genealogical research. Without it, a family’s history would be fiction. That first edition of the manual presented the standards family historians use to obtain valid results, updated, clarified, consolidated, and expanded for the 21st century, and tied more directly to the Genealogical Proof Standard.
This new 2019 second edition reflects the fact that the practice of genealogy is not static, but evolves as new developments and technologies emerge. Genealogy’s standards must keep pace also. Responding to this decade’s spate of advancements in the practice of genetic genealogy, BCG has modified four existing standards and added seven new standards to guide the use of DNA evidence in genealogical analysis. BCG also has updated the Genealogist’s Code to address the protection of individuals who provide DNA samples. New terms added to the glossary reflect the specialized language associated with DNA evidence.
Read more and order your copy now through the Board for Certification of Genealogists, at https://bcgcertification.org/product/genealogy-standards-2d-edition/
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The words Certified Genealogist and letters CG are registered certification marks, and the designations CGL and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation.