From OnBoard - Newsletter of the BCG

Thomas W. Jones, PhD, "Rumors Heard at a Recent Conference," OnBoard 7 (September 2001): 21,23.

Rumor: Applicants to the CG category will not be successful until they are "known" in the field.

Fact: This confusion is understandable because experience in the field helps to develop the skills needed for certification and—once it is awarded—the imprimatur of certification may open doors to reputation-building experiences. Nevertheless, many certified persons today were unknown solitary researchers when their initial BCG applications were successful. Indeed, applications for all certification categories are judged solely on whether they meet the standards delineated in The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual. None of those standards requires a reputation. Further, out of a pool of about fifty judges, only three or four—independent of each other—judge each application, greatly reducing the odds that applicants will be evaluated by someone who knows them or their reputation.

Rumor: Mentoring helps applicants to become "known" in the field.

Fact: Many applicants have found mentoring to be valuable, because it helps to build their skills, not because it enhances their reputations. Mentoring is a private educational relationship between two people, so rarely expands the student's reputation. Further, mentoring is not a requirement for certification and is not addressed by any standard on which applicants are judged.

Rumor: Publication is required for certification.

Fact: Applicants are judged on their ability to write clearly (see standard 40 in the Standards Manual), but no standard requires publication. In fact, some judges prefer work samples that are unpublished to those that have been critiqued and edited as part of a publication process.

Rumor: Genealogists may not take paying clients until they are certified.

Fact: Outside of upholding the Code of Ethics, BCG does not dictate the kind of work genealogists may undertake, whether they are certified or not.

Rumor: Only genealogists who work for paying clients may apply for certification.

Fact: Many genealogists who are certified have never worked for a paying client. An application requirement for all categories is a report on a limited research project that does not address an ancestor of the applicant or the applicant's spouse. This requirement enables applicants to demonstrate their ability to define and address research problems from inception—an ability that would not be apparent if the problem were one that the applicant had be researching for many years. (See standards 5 and 37 in the Standards Manual.) Many applicants use pro bono work with no fee involved to meet BCG's requirement for a client report.

Rumor: Renewal applications must include at least one client report.

Fact: Renewal applications must provide work samples showing that their work in the field continues to improve and to meet current standards. A client report is suggested as such a work sample but is not required.

Rumor: The criteria on which applicants are judged are kept condifential.

Fact: Applicants are judged against the standards in The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual. Individuals who purchase a BCG application package receive copies of the forms judges use to evaluate applications.

Rumor: Only applicants with perfect portfolios are certified.

Fact: Perfection is elusive in all fields, including genealogy. A judge's recommendation for certification results from a holistic appraisal that weighs the merits and shortcomings of each application in light of the standards described in the Standards Manual.

When talking with prospective applicants and other genealogists, please help discredit the above rumors and dispel the erroneous information behind them. Please do promote accurate information concerning BCG and the certification process.

Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL

This article was originally published in OnBoard, BCG's educational newsletter and is protected by copyright. Individuals may download and print copies for their personal study. Educators are granted permission to provide copies to their students as long as BCG, OnBoard, and the appropriate author are credited as the source of the material. Republication elsewhere is not permitted.