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Genealogy guides

Practical, in-depth answers to the questions family historians actually ask — written to be accurate, specific, and worth citing.

Guide

What is the Genealogical Proof Standard?

The five-element benchmark professional genealogists use to decide when a conclusion is proved — and how to meet it.

How-to

How to cite a census record (Evidence Explained style)

The elements a census citation needs, and the three forms every source should have — with a worked example.

Guide

Shared centimorgans (cM) and DNA relationship prediction

What a centimorgan is, how the shared total predicts a relationship, and where the prediction breaks down.

How-to

What is a GEDCOM file, and how do I open or convert one?

The file format that moves a family tree between programs — what it is, the versions and encodings, and how to import, edit and export one.

Guide

How to break through a genealogy brick wall

Most brick walls fall to a method, not a lucky record. Here is the method.

How-to

How to organize your DNA matches

Turn a wall of anonymous matches into a map of family lines, without losing track of what you have worked out.