Sourcerers Challenge (February 2022)

+18 votes
6.3k views

Hello, Sourcerers! It is time to start sourcing! Prior month Owl Stickers and Sourcerers Badges will be posted soon.

To participate:

  • Review the Rules
  • If you are new to the Sourcerers' Challenge, click the "Answer this post" button (not the comment link) and tell us you are participating

You only need to answer this month's post if you don't already have the Sourcerers' Badge. You are welcome to add an answer to ask questions or offer encouragement.

If you have a problem with the Tracker let us know by using the comment link to the question that opened this thread. 

USING THE TRACKER

The tracker should only be used when the profile meets the Monthly Challenge definition of Unsourced (see the Rules). Add a comment to the question if you are unsure if something counts as Unsourced. You can use either the Unsourced Profile Category or the DBE Report for Unsourced profiles to find profiles that will definitely qualify. The Orphaned profiles category is another great place to look for unsourced profiles. 

After you save an edit, a green banner appears at the top of the profile edit page with a dark “button” labeled Challenge Tracker is a link to the Tracker page. Click the link and, on the page that comes up, select Sourcerers challenge and click the appropriate hint in the right column (or fill in your own if none of the canned answers fit what you did). Click Add Action and you are finished. The Tracker records the number of profiles to which you have added sources. You can see the results for any monthly challenge using this link. The current month is at the bottom

http://wikitree.sdms.si/Challenges/SourcerersChallenge/default.htm

Remember, your sources need to be as full and specific as possible, so others find them useful. That means, if the source is online, you should link to it. If it is a page from a book, the page number should be included so others can easily see where you found the reference. Some books and magazines have free-space profiles to help with citation formats. Find them in the Sources Category. If the book does not have a free-space profile, consider adding the WorldCat permalink to help others find the book.

When you can, it is great to do a bit more while adding sources, like clean up the GEDCOM leftovers or help the formatting from older profiles. Sources are important, but if you cannot find them among all the other stuff, they are not helping as much as they could.

If you attempt to add sources to a profile and cannot find any, please add a note under a == Research Notes == section (click the link for examples and instructions on placement) giving where you tried to find records. Something like "Looked for John in the US Census records for 1900-1940 and could not find him on FamilySearch or Ancestry" would be fine. Or, "Searched google for an obituary and did not find one." That way the next researcher knows where to start. Do not remove the Unsourced Template and do not use the tracker to count in your tally.

The Monthly Challenge runs from the first of the month and ends on the last day of the month, GMT time. 

The Current Challenge Tracker Results Page has up-to-the-minute stats for those of you using the Challenge Tracker.

http://wikitree.sdms.si/Challenges/SourcerersChallenge/20220201/User.htm

Ask any questions here in the thread, otherwise, SOURCE!

in The Tree House by Debi Hoag G2G6 Pilot (396k points)
edited by Debi Hoag

34 Answers

+8 votes
If someone has previously said they could not find sources in Research Notes, should you remove that note when editing the profile?

Wendy xo
by Wendy Taylor G2G6 Pilot (135k points)
If it is a generic note such as "no records found at FamilySearch" and you have found and added a source, then it can be removed.

If it is a more detailed note (ex: Death Certificate not found in FamilySearch "North Carolina Death Records 1907-1930") and you found a different type of records (ex marriage or census), I would leave the note. You could still Track it as you did add the first source.

I hope that makes sense.
Thanks, Debi
+6 votes
I'm in for this month...
by Dean Anderson G2G6 Pilot (783k points)
Thanks, Dean. Have Fun!
+7 votes
Count me in.  Thanks!
by Mark Lemen G2G6 Mach 3 (33.7k points)

Welcome to the Sourcerers Challenge, Mark. I'll check the tracker next week to make sure it's working for you. Let me know if you have any questions by adding a comment below mine.

I have verified that the Tracker is working for you and that you have added a reliable source to a qualified profile. We'll get your badge awarded in early March after we finish the February stats.

Thanks so much, Debi!
+7 votes
I guess a second-timer is still considered new! Please add me to the challenge again this month, and next month, and next month ...
by Vince Hernly G2G6 Mach 1 (10.3k points)
Thanks, Vince. Now that you have your Sourcerers' Badge, you're automagically signed up each month. Have fun and good luck!
+7 votes
I would like to join the February Soucerer challenge
by Donald Howard G2G6 Mach 1 (16.6k points)
Thanks, Donald. Have fun!
+7 votes
Been sourcing quite a few lately, may as well sign up! :)
by Terry Fillow G2G6 Mach 8 (81.9k points)
Thanks, Terry. Have fun!
+7 votes
I would like to join the challenge
by Coen Jacob Dijkgraaf G2G6 Mach 6 (61.5k points)

Welcome to the Sourcerers Challenge, Coen Jacob. I'll check the tracker next week to make sure it's working for you. Let me know if you have any questions by adding a comment below mine.

I have verified that the Tracker is working for you and that you have added a reliable source to a qualified profile. We'll get your badge awarded in early March after we finish the February stats.

+7 votes
I will participate. I see lots of unsourced profiles that need TLC.

Terry
by Terry Lee G2G1 (1.9k points)

Welcome to the Sourcerers Challenge, Terry. I have verified that the Tracker is working for you and that you have added a reliable source to a qualified profile. We'll get your badge awarded in early March after we finish the February stats.

Since you are using FindAGrave as one of your sources, I wanted to make sure you knew about adding the FindAGrave template to the provided source. Doing so will help ensure that there will be a working link next time their link format changes. You can read more about adding the FindAGrave template in the FindAGrave Help page section on linking from WikiTree. I also added the template as an example on the first profile that you sourced in case you want to see it in use.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

+7 votes
I am in for this month's challenge.
by Kathy Nava G2G6 Pilot (306k points)
Great to have you with us, Kathy. Good luck!
+7 votes
Count me in.  I've just joined.
by Eleanor Colson G2G6 Mach 1 (12.4k points)

Welcome to the Sourcerers Challenge, Eleanor. I have verified that the Tracker is working for you and that you have added a reliable source to a qualified profile. We'll get your badge awarded in early March after we finish the February stats.

+7 votes
Well, I just did something stupid. I was putting an entry in the Challenge Tracker. I found a 1920 Census Record for Hunt-2469, but I had a brain freeze and typed 1819 instead of 1920.
by Amy Sparks G2G6 Mach 2 (25.8k points)
No worries at all, Amy. The comments are useful but seldom seen. Anyone looking at the Change Log will be able to see what you really did.
+7 votes
I will work on a few. Happy Hunting!
by Rosetta Link G2G6 Mach 2 (21.7k points)
Thanks, Rosetta. Have fun!
+7 votes
I would like to sign up for the Sourcerers challenge for the first time. Thanks!
by Eric Stamper G2G6 Mach 2 (22.7k points)

Welcome to the Sourcerers Challenge, Eric. I'll check the Challenge Tracker next week to make sure it's working for you. Let me know if you have any questions by adding a comment below mine.

+7 votes

I posted a sourcing comment on this green locked profile.

by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.5m points)
Thanks, Jelena.

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