The genealogical proof standard -- Standards for documenting -- Standards for researching: planning research ; collecting data ; reasoning from evidence ; using DNA evidence -- Standards for writing: genealogical proofs -- assembled research results -- special-use genealogical products -- Standards for genealogical educators -- Standards for continuing education -- The genealogist's code of ethics -- About the Board for Certification of Genealogists -- Sources and resources -- A research process map

"Accuracy is fundamental to genealogical research. Without it, a family's history would be fiction. This manual presents the standards family historians use to obtain valid results. These standards apply to all genealogical research, whether shared privately or published. They also apply to personal research and research for clients, courts, and other employers. The standards address documentation; research planning and execution, including reasoning from evidence; compiling research results; genealogical education; and ongoing development of genealogical knowledge and skills. BCG offers these standards to the field as a guide to sound genealogical research and a way to assess the research outcomes that genealogists produce. They are standards for anyone who seeks to research and portray accurately people's lives, relationships, and histories"--Back cover