Changed database names

By Ron Stephen on Sun, 10/27/2024 - 11:41

Forums

I recently have been verifying my sources in Family Tree Maker. I discovered that the database name has changed. When I did my research originally there were numerous database titles for "Pennsylvania Death Certificates, [years covered]. I have sources with dates ranging from 1906-1963 to 1906-1970 for various people in my tree. Now when I verify the source there is only one date for the database, i.e. "Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1970". Should I change my source entries to reflect this? If I do should I also change the accessed date?.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

 

Submitted byRon Stephenon Tue, 10/29/2024 - 13:59

Sorry I didn't include that. All the databases are on ancestry.com, or they were when I accessed them years ago.

The database titles are all "Pennsylvania Death Certificates, date-date".

When I accessed them the data base title included the following dates.

1906-1963, 1906-1966,1906-1967, 1906-1968, 1906-1696 and 1906-1970.

Now the only one on ancestry is "Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1970. The others no longer exist on ancestry.

I hope this clarifies my earlier post.

Thank You

Submitted byEEon Wed, 10/30/2024 - 09:38

Ron, let's start with the most-basic rule of citation: We cite what we use. That means

  • We cite what we use, when we use it.
  • We cite the details that exist at the time we use it.
  • If we later use our citation and find it doesn't work, we have to figure out why.
  • If we find the same material under a different database title or URL, then we revise that particular citation—after we check every detail to ensure that the newly cited database/URL does say exactly what we have attributed to the older title.

This leads to your main issue: Do you go back and revise every citation to the source that has been altered?  If our own database notes or reports to file have extensively used that source, that can be a major time sink, not only to change the title and URL but also to verify that each piece of information for which that database is cited is still there in the new iteration.  We have basically two choices:

  • We can spend the time doing that, knowing that the site could very well (and likely will) change the name again, as it continues to update the database.
  • We can wait until we reach the point of publication—a point at which every researcher/writer is expected to check every citation and make sure that it is still correct.

This subject has also been addressed, in an Ancestry-specific query, at https://www.evidenceexplained.com/content/citing-database-has-been-renamed

Submitted byRon Stephenon Wed, 10/30/2024 - 12:48

Thank you so much for the clarification. I will revise the title of the database, if necessary, as I review some of my current citations.

I have verified that the information has not changed, at this point the only thing that has changed is the title of the database.

I also will review the info at the reference you provided.

Thanks again

Ron