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Doc Work Workshop
Mastering Doc Work: A Hands-on Workshop for BCG Portfolio Preparation
Overview
These workshops are focused on helping genealogists who intend to certify learn about, and practice, the Board for Certification (BCG) portfolio element called Document Work (Doc Work). The objective of the workshop is to provide exposure to the different aspects of Doc Work through instruction, engagement, and application. This course will provide valuable insights and practical experience to elevate your genealogical document work to the next level.
Who Should Participate?
Genealogists who want to certify through BCG and who want to practice the components of Doc Work will likely benefit from this workshop. Additionally, any genealogist who wants to improve the skills noted above will be able to learn and grown from the instruction and practice.
Meeting Format & Materials
The meetings will be held virtually over Zoom. Participants must have reliable access to high speed internet to participate. There will be no recorded meetings. Thus, if a participant misses a meeting there is no way for that material to be viewed. In general, there will be no written syllabus but some handouts and exercises will be provided.
Cost
Included: The workshop series of four meetings, instruction, and assigned homework is $200.
Optional: Individualized instructor feedback on your completed Doc Work package is $75. You make this decision at the end of the workshop. The Doc Work is due to the instructor based on the schedule provided. The instructor will then provide individualized written feedback to the student within two weeks after that.
Schedule
To maximize learning from the instructions, students should plan to have free hours between meetings to complete the homework.
Meeting # Meeting Length Topic Homework Hours*
1 ~2-1/2 hours 3-A Transcription 3-6
2 ~2-1/2 hours 3-B Abstraction 2-5
3 ~2-1/2 hours 3-C & Research Questions
& 3-D Analysis 3-6
4 ~2-1/2 hours 3-E Research Plan 5-10
* Each person’s working speed and experience level is unique. The time needed to complete homework will vary based on these factors, among others.
Instructional Methods
- A "common document" will be used for in-class instructional purposes as well as additional optional practice.
- Each student will request and then receive a document in their targeted geographic area of research to work on during the workshop.
- For anyone who is "on the clock" with BCG, you may work behind the scenes on your document but may NOT in any way refer to it, discuss it, or ask specific questions about it during the workshop (for more details on this BCG requirement see the BCG Application Guide, page 3, "requirement restrictions" information).
- In-class instruction, Powerpoint slides, exercises, and open Q&A.
- Homework assignments which can be applied to the common document or the geographically targeted document supplied to each individual.
Curriculum and instruction provided by Jan Joyce, DBA, CG, CGL, AG.
If you are interested in the next Doc Work Workshop, submit your information here. You will then be notified of the next workshop series dates.
Want more information first? Read on below! :)
If you have questions that are not answered here, please email me: janmjoyce@ gmail.com
Join Email Wait List to Hear About 2025 Dates
Meeting #1 - Transcription
Introduction
This course begins with a focused review of essential BCG (Board for Certification of Genealogists) resources relevant to document work, including Genealogy Standards, the BCG Application Guide, and the BCG Rubrics. Understanding these professional standards will elevate the quality of your document work and align your work with industry best practices.
Throughout the workshop, we'll use a "common document" that all students will practice with. This shared resource allows for consistent learning experiences, facilitates group discussions, and provides a uniform basis for instructor demonstrations. As you master doc work techniques using this common document, you'll develop skills applicable to a wide range of historical records, preparing you for success in your targeted geographic region and time period.
3-A Transcription:
The transcription workshop will equip you with essential techniques for the successful transcription of historical documents, a crucial skill for any serious genealogist or family historian. You'll learn:
- Foundational principles of document transcription
- Common challenges in reading historical handwriting and how to overcome them
- Strategies for deciphering unfamiliar abbreviations and archaic terms
- Best practices for maintaining accuracy and consistency in your transcriptions
- Tools and resources to aid in the transcription process
To ensure a practical, hands-on learning experience, each student will work with real historical documents. The instructor will provide documents from free, publicly available sources (typically from FamilySearch or Ancestry) tailored to a each student's designated geographic region and time frame of interest. This personalized approach allows you to practice your skills on materials directly relevant to your research goals. For students focusing on regions or time periods where documents are not readily available online, you may supply your own document for transcription practice. This flexibility ensures that all participants can engage with materials that align with their specific genealogical interests.
By the end of this workshop, you'll have:
- Developed a keen eye, and used techniques, for deciphering various words in different handwriting styles.
- Learned how to handle common transcription obstacles including unfamiliar words, indecipherable words, obsolete letter forms, marginal notes, misspelled words, blank spaces, obvious errors, crossed-out words, indentations, superscript, abbreviations, punctuation irregularities, signatures, seals, marks, symbols, underlines, and more.
- Acquired techniques for transcribing efficiently, accurately, and comprehensively.
- Gained an understanding of what transcriber notes to provide.
Meeting #2 - Abstraction
3-B Abstraction:
In this section of the workshop, we'll delve into the critical skill of document abstraction, building upon the foundation laid during transcription exercises. You'll have the opportunity to abstract the same document you previously transcribed, allowing you to see how these two skills complement each other. This approach reinforces your familiarity with the document while introducing new analytical techniques.
We'll explore three distinct techniques of abstraction:
1) Condense with ellipses
2) Paraphrase into paragraphs
3) Structure into bullet points
Each technique may be appropriate for a different type of document and be better suited to the abstractor's personal style. Through hands-on practice with the common document, you'll learn how to identify key information, summarize content effectively, and draw insightful conclusions from historical records. This multi-faceted approach to abstraction will enhance your ability to efficiently process and utilize a wide range of genealogical documents that focus on your area of geographic expertise.
Abstraction skills focus on identifying boilerplate language and determining what to eliminate from a document while retaining its essential information. This process requires distinguishing between standard legal or administrative phrases and unique, genealogically significant details. By mastering these skills, researchers can create concise, informative summaries that capture the core content of historical documents, making their research more efficient and easier to analyze.
Exercise example for abstraction
Meeting #3 - Research Questions & Analysis
3-C Research Question
Instruction on crafting appropriate research questions for your document and time period will be a key focus of this workshop. We'll explore how to analyze historical contexts, identify knowledge gaps, and formulate questions that drive meaningful research. You'll learn to create questions that are specific, answerable, and relevant to the document at hand, ensuring that your research plan is focused and effective.
This process involves evaluating the potential impact of each question on your overall genealogical goals and considering how well they demonstrate your knowledge of the geographic area in question. We'll discuss strategies for prioritizing questions that not only address your research objectives but also showcase your understanding of local history, migration patterns, and record availability.
Through practical exercises and group discussions, you'll gain confidence in developing a set of research questions that serve as a roadmap for your investigation while also impressing potential clients or certification boards with your analytical skills and regional expertise.
3-D Analysis
In our analysis of reliability, we'll examine crucial factors that impact a document's trustworthiness. We'll cover provenance and chain of custody, time lapse between events and their recording, various document formats, physical condition, legibility, and the professionalism of creation and recording. You'll learn to assess both external and internal consistency, and to categorize sources as original, derivative, or authored. Through this comprehensive evaluation, you'll develop the skills to confidently conclude a source's overall reliability, forming a solid foundation for your genealogical research and conclusions.
Our exploration of background context will equip you with tools to understand the document's historical and cultural environment. We'll consider the purpose, time period, and geographic context, including relevant jurisdictional changes. You'll learn to recognize legal requirements, financial implications, and broader factors such as politics, economy, and migration patterns. We'll also delve into the customs, traditions, and specific language use of the time and place. This holistic approach will enable you to better interpret the document's content and significance, ultimately guiding you towards a nuanced assessment of the source's accuracy when possible.
In our analysis process, we'll focus on identifying all significant information in the document that's relevant to your specified research question. You'll learn to evaluate the validity of presumptions and to assess the credibility of informants. We'll explore how to recognize and interpret legal implications within the document, as well as how to handle conflicting information. You'll develop skills in comparing the document's content with other sources for consistency. Throughout this analysis, you'll learn to categorize information as primary, secondary, or undetermined. By synthesizing these elements, you'll be able to draw well-founded conclusions about the accuracy of the information contained in the document, a crucial skill for any thorough genealogical investigation.
Finally, you will learn to recognize and evaluate all types of evidence relevant to your research question including direct evidence, which explicitly answers your question, as well as indirect evidence that requires interpretation or combination with other information to reach a conclusion. We'll also cover the importance of recognizing negative evidence - the absence of expected information - and how it can be just as valuable as positive findings. Additionally, you'll develop skills in handling conflicting evidence, learning how to weigh contradictory information and resolve discrepancies. By mastering these distinctions, you'll be equipped to conduct a comprehensive analysis that extracts maximum value from each document, leading to more robust and reliable genealogical conclusions.
Instructor Feedback Example
An example of how instructor feedback is provided is shown at the left.
Meeting #4 - Research Planning & Formatting
3-E Research Plan
Effective research planning is crucial for successful genealogical investigations. We'll guide you through the process of prioritizing your research plan and determining the most efficient order of tasks. You'll learn strategies for balancing breadth and depth in your research, avoiding the common pitfalls of including too many sources (which can lead to overwhelm) or too few (which might result in incomplete findings). Three techniques will be taught to aid your planning.
We'll address the common fear of creating a plan that seems too basic. Qe'll explore techniques for selecting the best mix of sources, combining vital records, census data, church records, and other document types to create a well-rounded research approach. This balanced strategy will help you build a solid foundation for your genealogical project while remaining flexible enough to adapt as new information emerges.
Determining whether to begin with a high-quality credible source or a quick answer is a strategic decision we'll explore in depth. We'll discuss scenarios where starting with a comprehensive, well-documented source is crucial for building a solid foundation, versus situations where a rapid initial search might be more appropriate to guide further research directions.
Formatting
The presentation of your document work is crucial for clarity and professionalism. We'll discuss effective formatting techniques that enhance readability and showcase your comprehensive document work. You'll learn to structure your work with appropriate page layouts, using consistent margins and line spacing. We'll explore the use of clear, professional fonts and the strategic application of headings, subheadings, and bold text to organize information logically. Additionally, we'll cover the critical aspect of proper citation formatting, ensuring that your sources are thoroughly documented according to genealogical standards. This attention to formatting not only makes your work more accessible but also demonstrates your commitment to professional genealogical practices.
An example of a workshop exercise is shown at the right.
