* Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

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BEJ
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Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by BEJ »

I need help understanding the difference between a prepared source and a prepared citation. I split (rather than lump) my sources so I often have source records that that specific to a page in a document such as a census.
  • Should I also create a prepared citation for a page when it is already listed in a source record?
I have selected a prepared source and tried to add a prepared citation to it (Add > Source/Citation > Prepare citation to existing source...) without success. I can enter the information, but it does not save.

Searching FH Help, and FHUG Knowledge Base and Forum returns results that seem to involve Automatic Source Citations, which I do not use. Clearly I'm missing something fundamental here.
  • Where can I find an explanation of the difference between a prepared source and a prepared citation?
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by ColeValleyGirl »

I assume you've read Sources and Citations in Version 7 (for Upgraders)?

A Prepared Citation is a combination of a source definition and associated citation-level data created ready for use in Source-Driven data entry.

A 'Prepared Source' (not sure where you found that terminology) is (I assume) just a Source that has been created, by e.g. adding a source via the Source Records Window or via the Create Source/Prepare Citation dialog without entering Citation data.
I have selected a prepared source and tried to add a prepared citation to it (Add > Source/Citation > Prepare citation to existing source...) without success. I can enter the information, but it does not save.
Where have you looked? The most recent Prepared Citation (there is only one in existence at a time) is stored in the Header Record.

If you don't use ASC or DEAs, it sounds as if you may be using Add Citation within the Property Box, and not using Prepared Citations at all. To take advantage of them, you have to use either ASC, or DEAs, or Copy Citation (all at the bottom of the Prepared Citation Window). If you use Copy Citation, you can then use Paste Citation within the Property Box Source Pane.

Note: whether you create a source per page, or put page data in the citation 'where within source' is up to you, and will probably differ depending on the source. If a source was a published Book, I would put the page number in Where within Source (i.e. at the Citation level); whereas if a source was a Census I'd create a Source per Census Entry.
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by BEJ »

Thanks for the response.
I do use source-driven data entry (DEAs) but not ASC—automatic source citation(?).
I had not found the “upgrade” page.
ColeValleyGirl wrote: 18 Nov 2021 16:27A 'Prepared Source' (not sure where you found that terminology) is (I assume) just a Source that has been created, by e.g. adding a source via the Source Records Window or via the Create Source/Prepare Citation dialog without entering Citation data.
Yes, I guess I made up the term “prepared source;” I have been using the Create Source/Prepare Citation dialog without entering Citation data. I think I'm learning that I should go ahead and enter the citation data (such as the page in the document) when I create the source record.
  • Would other specific details (transcript for example) for a split source then go in the "Text from Source" or "Text from Citation"?
I will study the material to see if it helps further with my understanding (I may have more questions). Thanks, again.
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by ColeValleyGirl »

BEJ wrote: 18 Nov 2021 16:59 Would other specific details (transcript for example) for a split source then go in the "Text from Source" or "Text from Citation"?
If you're splitting, you'd put the Transcript in Text from Source (and that's what the existing DEAs do).

So, going back to my example, for a census, the household transcript goes in Text from Source. And for a Book, if you enter the page details in the Citation, you'd put the relevant extract in Text from Citation.

More questions always welcome!
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by BEJ »

Hold on: I was confusing Date Entry Assistants with Source Templates. I do not use DEAs.

I chose FH because of its flexibility, but maybe it's too much for me. I'm spending all my time trying to figure out the software, rather than entering genealogical information! I haven't given up yet---only because of the support from FHUG. (Frankly, I find Calico Pie's documentation very insufficient.) Thanks for being there.
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by ColeValleyGirl »

Many people just use FH simply, without delving into the myriad ways of doing everything.

If you want, you can use the Create source from template window without adding any Citation details; and then work as you used to in V6: Create a Fact in the Property box and the cite the source you just created. Ignore ASC/DEAs/Copy Citation unless they make your life easier. You could even stick with Generic Sources if you're happier with those.

I've advised a lot of users offline to stick with what they're comfortable with -- the thing most people care about is researching their family history, not learning the ins and out and backs and fronts and tos and fros of a piece of software that should be a means and not an end.

If you were comfortable with V6, we can advise you how to work the way you used to, e.g. Customising V7 to use V6 (Simple) Style Sources
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by Gowermick »

BEJ,
Don’t worry, use FH anyway you like, there are few rules you have to adhere to.
Like you, I’m a splitter and don’t use DEA or AS, and I keep it as simple as possible.

When entering a census, I create a single generic source for each (UK) census page, with a title like 1881 piece 2468 Folio 123 Page 06.

Then I select this source for each fact, (so creating the citation) - that’s it, job done.
I don’t add any text from source etc etc., as the title says it all, my citation is just a simple link to the source!

Remember the KISS principle, keep it simple stupid. Don’t let FH control or delay your research, make it work the way you want😀
Mike Loney

Website http://www.loney.tribalpages.com
http://www.mickloney.tribalpages.com
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by BEJ »

Don’t worry, use FH anyway you like, ....
That's what I've spent the last 3 years trying to do: figure out how I wish to use FH. Hence my frustration. I guess it doesn't help that I came along when all the changes were made for version 7. Among changes made by FH 7, I fully embrace the ability to enter details of a source when the source is encountered, rather than creating facts and then adding sources as was the case in FH6. This change in the workflow to a data-driven approach is more logical, and matches the way I work.

What I can't figure out is what source-related information goes where. It seems that a citation is not just a link between a fact and a source: it holds unique information.
  • Am I correct that GECOM only keeps track of sources and has no tag for citations?
I'm encourage by the way you handle it, as a splitter. I'm hearing that I might just ignore the citation window all together.
  • If I do, and pass my research on to someone else, what happens to the information entered in the citation window?
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by Mark1834 »

BEJ wrote: 18 Nov 2021 19:20 the ability to enter details of a source when the source is encountered, rather than creating facts and then adding sources as was the case in FH6.
That's a common misconception arising from the way FH7 was promoted. It was perfectly possible to do Source-Driven data entry in FH6, either through AS or creating the source first, followed by the facts and source citation. All FH7 has done has added another way to do it. Reading the promotional material, you'd think it was something revolutionary, but it's not. It's an alternative route, which a year on from launch and 18 months from the first beta testers using the product is still relatively under-developed.

GEDCOM stores full details of both sources and citations, but they are stored slightly differently depending on whether the source is Split or Lumped. If you mainly split (as I do), your citation is nothing more than a link between the source and the fact, and often has no detail in it whatsoever.
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by ColeValleyGirl »

BEJ wrote: 18 Nov 2021 19:20 What I can't figure out is what source-related information goes where. It seems that a citation is not just a link between a fact and a source: it holds unique information.
  • Am I correct that GECOM only keeps track of sources and has no tag for citations?
No; Gedcom deals with Citations as well. You're best off thinking of it as a link with some optional citation-specific information as well.
I'm encourage by the way you handle it, as a splitter. I'm hearing that I might just ignore the citation window all together.
  • If I do, and pass my research on to someone else, what happens to the information entered in the citation window?
The Source info will be preserved as a new Source because a Source is created (even if you do nothing with it). If you use one of the buttons at the bottom of the window (ASC/DEA/Copy Citation) it will be included in the Citation for the relevant fact. And if you don't use it, it will not be included and won't be transferred.
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by BEJ »

When I create a source in advance (Source > Create Source / Prepared Citation...) using a Source Template the window that opens is labeled “Prepared Citation.” Just as Source Records can be created when encountered and in advance of when they might be needed (what I was calling a “Prepared Source”), I was thinking that the same held true for citations. I thought that I could prepare citations in advance and then use them as needed. What I missed is that “there can only be one Prepared Citation in existence in a project (the most recently created one). It is saved in the Header Record....” (FHUG Knowledge Base, emphasis added).

So, is it correct that I am saving the Source Record and not the following information entered in the Citation pane:
• Text From Source,
• Where Within Source,
• Assessment,
• Note,
• Event Type Responsible, and
• Entry Date?
Rather, any citation information entered is stored in the Header Record only until I create a new Source Record in advance, using Source > Create Source / Prepared Citation.... If so, what is the advantage of a Prepared Citation?
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by tatewise »

The FH terminology is perhaps a little misleading.
A 'Prepared Citation' is not a Citation standing in isolation.
It is a Citation and linked Source record prepared in combination.

So when you create a 'prepared' Source, there is no Citation until you link Facts to the Source record via the Citation.

If you create a 'Prepared Citation', the Source record is already linked, and you just attach the 'Prepared Citation' to the Facts.

Remember a Citation has two 'connections' ~ one to a Fact ~ one to a Source record.
The Prepared Citation has also prepared that link to the Source record.
A Fact can have many Citations attached.
A Source record can have many Citations linked to it.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by ColeValleyGirl »

what is the advantage of a Prepared Citation?
Rather than re-iterating what's been said earlier in this topic, I'll attempt to answer this question.

A Prepared Citation is designed to be the starting point for 'source-driven data entry', that is creating the source and associated citation detail first, and then creating the facts derived from the source and automatically (or semi-automatically) citing the source as each fact is created. Source-driven data entry has always been possible in FH (or via Ancestral Sources) but in FH7 it's been made more obvious and is better supported.

If you prefer 'fact-driven data entry', which is creating each fact in turn and then attaching the source, that's still supported exactly as it was in FH6, and there is no advantage in a 'Prepared Citation'.
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by BEJ »

Thanks all for hanging in with me on this topic.
It is a Citation and linked Source record prepared in combination.
However, the linked Citation is only temporary: how is that useful? I now understand HOW to create a Prepared Citation but not WHY.
A Prepared Citation is designed to be the starting point for 'source-driven data entry', that is creating the source and associated citation detail first, and then creating the facts derived from the source and automatically (or semi-automatically) citing the source as each fact is created. Source-driven data entry has always been possible in FH (or via Ancestral Sources) but in FH7 it's been made more obvious and is better supported.
Is there a workflow somewhere to illustrate the above? I fully embrace source-driven data entry. This data-driven approach is logical and matches the way I attempted to worked in FH6. Here is generally how I go about it.
  • Create new Source records when I encounter them using the Prepared Citation Window.
  • Go back and glean the relevant information from the sources as time permits.
  • Match the information to facts in an individual's or family's record (using AS when appropriate).
  • Create a citation to link the facts and the sources.
  • Move on to the next new Source Record.
Where in this process would a temporary Prepared Source be useful? Or maybe I should ask, if the Prepared Citation is the "starting point for 'source-driven date entry'," what is the next step(s)?

P.S. I'll welcome any responses as the final word(s) on this thread.
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by ColeValleyGirl »

The workflow, assuming you're working on a single source at a time to derive and record all the facts:
  • Create the Prepared Citation. (It will be saved in the Header record, and survive closing and reopening the project as many times as you need -- It will only disappear when it's overwritten with a new Prepared Citation, i.e. when you move on to the next source.)
  • Decide which of the options at the bottom of the Prepared Citation window you're going to use (in decreasing order of automation):
    • a DEA, which, for common source types, would create/update all the relevant Facts for you, based on information you provide that's derived from the source, and choices you get offered about how to deal with existing facts that the source could modify/overwrite. (The equivalent of AS, except they're written as plugins). If you use a DEA, you'd get all data entry done very quickly, but they don't exist for all sources/regions yet. The DEA will cite the source using the Prepared Citation you've specified for the facts it creates/updates, and also create Text from Source. This is the quickest way of working, as long as a suitable DEA exists. When the DEA completes you'll get a results window showing everything it did, so you can tweak/change/delete (I typically adjust the Assessment field in the Citation at this point, because the same Assessment doesn't apply to every piece of information). Or you can undo everything the DEA did using Edit > Undo Plugin updates, and start again.
    • Automatic Source Citation, which requires you to create the Facts manually but automatically adds the citation as per the Prepared Citation. You also have to create Text from Source manually. This technique was available in FH6, so you may already be familiar with it.
    • Copy citation, which also requires you to create the Facts manually and to manually Paste the citation (using the copied Prepared Citation). Again, you also have to create Text from Source manually. This technique was available in FH6, so you may already be familiar with it.
  • Move on to the next new Source Record.
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Re: Prepared Source and Prepared Citation?

Post by BEJ »

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