Genealogy & Ethics

Ethical Research Practices

I had the opportunity some time ago to do research for a client who was hoping I could find some direct ancestors for them. The research was based in Italy and all records were in Italian. As with any client, I first held a phone call and got some information from them to get an idea of what they were looking for.  I always do a short, free consultation with people to make sure I know what they want and from there, I generate a research plan and share that with them.  I followed this same procedure with this client and all seemed well as I began resarching.

After spending some time and successfully completing some research, I followed up with the client and shared what I had found with them. At that point, they then asked if I would research some information they had found about being related to someone who was either royalty or from a family with a privileged background.  I asked where they had got the information and they shared that they had found it on Family Search. When I looked on Family Search, I found the information that they had referenced and saw that there were no citations and that information has just been "plugged in". 

At that point, I had a dilemma, and that was to go back to the client and explain to them that the information which was posted (not by them) had no citations or sources, and therefore, was only speculative. I could have spent time and charged the client money for something that I did not think would result in something and it could have been significant hours and income for me.  Instead, I shared with the client that without further information, any search would be expensive and that there was no clear point of starting. I was forthright in that I did not want to waste their time or money.

Once I shared that, the client quickly lost interest in having me research and after reaching out a couple of times, I did not hear back from them.  While I was disappointed that the client stopped contact, I knew I had done the right thing by not pursuing that particular request. The client had other lines I could have researched and when finished, if they had the finances, I could have done a little bit of research to test out the waters for the information that they had provided.  Even then, I would have only spent a little bit of time looking, however, I would have not continued to research something that had little to no underlying sources.

In the classes I have taken, there has been a focus on genealogical ethics.  Even without those classes, I consider myself an ethical person. It would be inappropriate to try and do in depth research for someone without something to substantiate the initial research or to know going into the research.  Additionally, I have seen where people post information online and the information is incorrect and is able to be proven incorrect. Spending time pursuing leads you know are not accurate or may not be accurate

If you're somoeone who is interested in hiring a genealogist or genealogical researcher, please think about the requests that you make to the person working for you. While you may have the money to spend on research, a great researcher (and an ethical person) will always hold to genealogical standards and ethics that drive their work. This may result in them gently or directly informing you of the work that they are or are NOT able to perform for you!