>Vis-a-vis d/l gedcoms, someone said ...
>
>> Yes, I understand I don't want to accept research that I can't
>> prove.
>I /do/ realize I'm breaking open an awful kettle of worms with this
>remark but ...
>There will come a time when you WILL accept research you can't
>verify.
<snipping out some really good explanations here!>
I agree, Cheryl. It's inevitable. You are absolutely right. Just
getting a lot wordier than you here.....
My own comments would be that:
First, the key for most researchers is to not *easily* or
*carelessly* just incor****ate research that they haven't tried to
verify and proof through as many original do***ents and as much
careful analysis as they can manage. Even if the source of the info
sounds 'scholarly' or 'well-researched', or 'full of details and
sources' or 'was published somewhere in 1870', check it and analyze
carefully. There are so many 'scholarly-sounding', constantly
repeated, 'but everyone knows...' *serious basic errors*
everywhere. If you can't proof it, don't take it as fact.
But after that process, the *being a researcher part* truly begins.
When the records run out, you work with hypotheses, and
probabilities. And you label them as such. Use every possible
detail to figure out those probabilities. You include the info that
is most likely, and then keep looking at everything. Keep
analyzing.
Others may have found something that makes your possibility less
likely, or just plain wrong. Or there may be a well-reasoned
article in a journal that drops your 'probability of being right'
from 85% to 30%, and sends you hunting in what might be a more
fruitful direction.
But as hard as you work, and as much as you do, you will always end
up with probabilites and hypotheses....... In some lines, this may
happen in 1890. In others, in 1750. In others, in 1610, or before.
But you always end up with hypotheses and probabilities.
If you don't end up with possibles, perhaps a probable, and a
number of question marks, then you've stopped too soon [grins].
Linda S
leoandlinda <leoandlinda@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
|
