TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-L Archives
Archiver > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM > 2012-01 > 1326394731
From: <>
Subject: Re: [TGF] A question of style
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:58:51 -0600
References: <8B757E763F8C41ED86EF27947F8134A6@MicheleToshiba><CABPpKTgbjArfMAcCi0-tDeJJNVLMh5cNYtcGRMLPxfZ3bkxqqw@mail.gmail.com> <006a01ccd14d$76dc0740$649415c0$@comcast.net><FD598FA0B1F04548AFABFBC38FF0186B@MicheleToshiba>
In-Reply-To: <FD598FA0B1F04548AFABFBC38FF0186B@MicheleToshiba>
Harold wrote:
>My own non-authoritative experience is that ... this kind of deviation [is]
not going to fail you. Not consulting a commonly used source, analyzing it
wrong, or claiming to have proved something you didn't would be much more
serious and would start moving you down from "meets standards" to "partially
meets standards" or worse.
Michele wrote:
>You are right, I am sweating the small stuff. I am just worried about
making sure everything is just so because of the high failure rate. Funny
thing is, I am not that worried about the actual content :) :)
Michele,
You and Harold have fingered the crux of the issue, insofar as those
"failure rates" are concerned. Most applicants who fail do so for one of two
reasons: Either they apply before they have adequate experience or a sound
understanding of core research principles (which, too often, they assume to
mean "knowing what sources exist for my area"), or they focus on the wrong
kind of "small stuff" (in which case, reason 1 typically exists as well).
Some applicants even try to match every jot and tittle of their formatting
to some model they've seen somewhere, thinking that if it was considered
good in this other situation, then replicating it exactly will ensure their
own work is 'done right." But, as we can see from the rubrics that are
publicly posted at the BCG website, applications are not evaluated on the
basis of whether the applicant can replicate typefaces, paragraph indents,
exact wording, or anything else someone else has done. Certification is not
about producing cookie-cutter work. Certification is about producing quality
results, whatever the problem, whatever the situation.
The rubrics consider whether or not the applicant UNDERSTANDS the ***core
principles of research, documentation, analysis, correlation of evidence,
and proof.*** Secondarily, the rubrics consider whether or not the work
samples reflect an ability to report, clearly, the researcher's findings and
conclusions. Here, it is good to sweat the "small stuff" such as typos and
conflicts between assertions.
Elizabeth
----------------------
Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG
BCG Outreach Committee (and past president)
This thread: