TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-L Archives

Archiver > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM > 2010-05 > 1274131886


From: Janis Walker Gilmore <>
Subject: Re: [TGF] Placing footnote reference number
Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 17:31:26 -0400
In-Reply-To: <003001caf605$55ec7670$01c56350$@baldwin@family-passages.com>


Always a good point, Peggy.

Janis


On 5/17/10 5:10 PM, "Peggy Baldwin at Family Passages"
<> wrote:

> Yes, but, we need to ask ourselves what the purpose of the convention is. I
> totally understand conventions for things like square brackets to indicate
> that something that you've added your own note to a transcription. Although,
> on the other hand, you could use whatever you want if you indicate what you
> are using. I think it all has to do with clear communication.
>
> I think it's important to not turn our brains off. In my day time
> occupation, health sciences librarian, we have very high level standards,
> but no one tells us exactly how that looks on the page. I would hate to see
> us get so sucked in by minutia that that we lose track of the more more high
> level standards that they serve.
>
> So, anyway, that's something I struggle with a lot in my new found
> profession.
>
> Peggy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Janis Walker Gilmore [mailto:]
> Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 1:54 PM
> To: Peggy Baldwin at Family Passages; 'Transitional Genealogists Forum
> Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [TGF] Placing footnote reference number
>
> I understand what you are saying, Peggy.
>
> On the other hand, all academic fields have conventions, and I like the idea
> that genealogy, as an academic discipline, has them, as well.
>
> Janis Walker Gilmore
> www.JanisGilmore.com
>
>
> On 5/17/10 4:49 PM, "Peggy Baldwin at Family Passages"
> <> wrote:
>
>> I can't even begin to imagine why we would have a "rule" about this. Isn't
>> the point to make sure that people know where the transcription begins and
>> where it ends and to make it clear where we got the information. One of
> the
>> aspects applying for of certification that makes me hesitant is that I'm
>> concerned I'll be asked to fit my work to a list of rules, rather than
>> actually using my head.
>>
>> Sorry! This hits a sore point for me.
>>
>> Peggy
>>
>> Peggy Baldwin, MLS
>> Family Passages LLC
>> www.family-passages.com
>> 503-916-9410
>> Pacific Northwest & Oregon Trail
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:
>> [mailto:] On Behalf Of
>> Janis Walker Gilmore
>> Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 11:58 AM
>> To: ; 'Transitional Genealogists Forum Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [TGF] Placing footnote reference number
>>
>> Thank you, Rondina and Elizabeth.
>>
>> I am not at home, and do not have _ProGen_ with me. (Looking forward to
> the
>> pdf version.)
>>
>> Janis
>>
>>
>> On 5/17/10 1:13 PM, "" <> wrote:
>>
>>> Janis wrote:
>>>> When you are indenting a transcribed census family, do you place the
>>> reference note after the sentence introducing the transcription, or at
> the
>>> end of the indented transcription? The latter seems correct, but since
> the
>>> indented transcription is a smaller font point size, it seems easy for a
>>> reader to miss the reference number, and thus the footnoted citation.
>>>
>>> Rondina wrote:
>>>> Tom Jones gave a very informative workshop in Dallas this Spring. He
>>> specifically pointed out that the footnote comes at the end of an
>>> abstraction or extraction within a report or case study, however I treat
> a
>>> transcription differently. For a full document transcription I have a
>>> heading with the citation information. This completely separates the
>> source
>>> information from the transcription itself and introduces the
>> transcription.
>>> I'm going to send you an example privately.
>>>
>>>
>>> Both Janis and Rondina make good points. However, two different issues
> are
>>> involved.
>>>
>>> 1. As Tom said, a standard rule of writing (elsewhere, as well as in
>>> genealogy) is to place the footnote/endnote reference number at the end
> of
>>> the material that comes from that source. A reference number is a
> "signal"
>>> to the reader that says, everything in the text prior to this comes from
>> the
>>> source cited below--at least everything backward to the point of the last
>>> reference number. If, as Janis points out, we are reducing the point size
>> of
>>> indented material and we feel that the attached, superscript, reference
>>> number is so small it might be missed, then it is possible in most
>>> word-processing software to adjust the point-size of that superscript
>>> reference number. (Or we can put the indented material in regular font
>> size,
>>> rather than reducing it.)
>>>
>>> 2. As Rondina notes, when presenting a record abstract or transcript (as
>>> opposed to "weaving a long, indented quotation into the text," it is
>>> perfectly proper (and often better, IMO) to create a 'record label' or
>>> 'header' at the start of the document, with the citation placed there. In
>>> this case, no footnote or endnote is used. This is the method
> demonstrated
>>> in Mary McCampbell Bell's abstracting/transcribing chapter of ProGen.
>>>
>>> Elizabeth
>>>
>>> -----------------------------------------------------------
>>> Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a safe
>> environment
>>> for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to
>> professional
>>> level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list.
>>> -------------------------------
>>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
>>> with the word
>>> 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the
>> message
>>
>>
>> The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a safe
> environment
>> for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to
> professional
>> level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list.
>> -------------------------------
>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
>> with the word
>> 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the
> message
>>
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>> Version: 9.0.819 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2878 - Release Date: 05/16/10
>> 23:26:00
>>
>> The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a safe
> environment
>> for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to
> professional
>> level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list.
>> -------------------------------
>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
>> with the word
>> 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the
> message
>
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 9.0.819 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2878 - Release Date: 05/16/10
> 23:26:00
>
> The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a safe environment
> for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional
> level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list.
> -------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
> with the word
> 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message


This thread: