Here are some research suggestions to remember in 2015:
- Use contemporary [to the problem] maps
- Cite sources
- Avoid using record transcriptions
- Determine a record's likely informant
- Question the reliability of the likely informant
- Ask "how did this record get to me from its original location?"
- Question (respectfully) the conclusions of others
- List the assumptions that have been made
- Reorganize the information in a different way?
- Do other record sources have copies of the same record?
Not an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination, but certain to keep most of us thinking in 2015!
