Ireland Project Profile Checklist

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

Guidelines for developing and/or updating profiles managed by the Ireland Project.

Before Starting

1. Post a comment to the profile so that profile managers and visitors to the profile know that it’s being updated by the Ireland Project. Wait at least 24 hours unless the Ireland Project is the sole manager.

2. Check that the Project is actually one of the managers of the profile (besides having a project box on the profile itself, the project should be listed as a pm on the ‘privacy’ page), if not, inform a project leader.

3. Read Everything:

• Check for any Comments at the bottom of the profile.
• Check if there were any G2G discussions about the profile (top right corner of the profile).
• Read the biography as it is currently. Check for plagiarism and/or copy/pasting against (for example) Wikipedia by copying/pasting a sentence or two of the biography into a Google search: this will sometimes confirm that the text has been copied/pasted from another site. Note: copying/pasting large chunks of text is not acceptable even if the website is acknowledged as a source. Quotes of a sentence or two (maximum) must be within quotation marks and the source cited in an inline reference. For WikiTree's guidelines regarding this, please see help: copying text.

Development

1. Duplicate profiles searched for/merged (or pending).

2. Suggestions resolved (click “Suggestions” in the drop-down menu under the WikiTree ID in the mini-menu at upper right of profile page).

3. Ensure elements are in the correct order, as outlined below, and headings are in accordance with WikiTree guidelines 

[[Categories]]

{{Research Note Boxes}}

{{Project Boxes}} [NOTE: the Ireland Project box must be present]

== Biography ==

{{Profile Stickers}}

== Research Notes == [if needed]

== Sources ==

<references />

See also:

== Acknowledgements ==

4. Check that categories, including location categories, are supported in the text. If a category is not supported, look for evidence to support it. If none can be found, post a comment to the profile either asking for help or providing notice that the category wIll be deleted. Make sure that every location mentioned in the bio has a corresponding category. If you are unsure of the correct category for any location in Ireland, consult creating Irish location categories and understanding Irish places and regions, or consult the Ireland Project's Counties Coordinator or the Project's Categories Team.

5. Check all the inline citations against the source material so far as you can, ensuring the data in the bio matches precisely to the info contained in the source. (Some sources may not be accessible to you.)

• Make sure the source’s link in WikiTree is working and that the format of the citation is correct.
• Add quotation marks around anything that is a direct quote, or better yet, write it in your own words.
• While you do this, you may want to re-write/expand the biography with more information from each source. *Include additional sources as needed.

6. Remove links to any online trees on Ancestry.com, FamilySearch or elsewhere and note (or remove) questionable sources, such as peerage.com, Burkes, and Tudorplace.com. They are not accepted/reliable sources for pre-1700 profiles. (Note: Links to primary sources (i.e.: birth, marriage, death records) found on FamilySearch and Ancestry are welcome, but they should be checked to ensure the data is relevant to the profile and that the link is in working order.)

7. Irrelevant GEDCOM-imported information should be deleted.

8. Check the sources under "See also". Is the citation style correct? Are the links correct and working? Can that source be cited inline in the bio? Can more info be added to the bio from that source?

9. Sources which are named in inline citations do not usually need to be named again in a general source list: this should normally be confined to any other sources which you think others may want to refer to or be aware of (for instance a Wikipedia article on the person if it has not been mentioned in an inline citation).

10. Is there enough research done for a full and complete biography? If not, take some time to add more reliable sourcing and data to the biography. Even a quick Google search might yield some good results.

11. Add a Research Notes section where appropriate, especially if there are contentious aspects to the biography or relationships. If you make any major alteration to the “facts” as written before, note the reason for the changes and your sources.

12. Spell out abbreviations within the biography (for example, outside of the datafields, months should be spelled out; exceptions are "Knt.", "Esq.", and "Gent."; you also don't want to change material presented from any source within quotes).

13. Add level 3 headings to a longer biography where and when appropriate, i.e: ===Marriages and Children===, ===Death and Probate===, etc.

14. Ensure genealogical information - Parents, Birth, Marriage(s), Child(ren), Death - if included, is easily located and has an inline citation to source(s), preferably a primary source.

15. Add links to the WikiTree profiles of parents/spouses/children named in the biography. NOTE: Basics on family members can be included, but extensive details are generally better on the family member’s profile.

• For parents/children whose relationship is clearly supported by a primary source (and noted as such in text), set the relationship as “Confident”. A rating of "Confident" should not be added unless there is a clear primary source. But if they are already marked confident, leave them marked as confident unless there is clear evidence for doubting the relationship. This is because the alternative is to change the rating to "Uncertain" which will generally be wrong: WikiTree does not permit just removing a confidence rating.
• Profiles for children that have support can be included in the list of children (with appropriate citations/notes) or can be discussed in a "Disputed Children" section under the 2nd-level heading "Research Notes". Profiles for children that have no support should be detached after discussing with the profile managers and/or posting to G2G (a relationship change is considered a major change, so should be discussed first: see Communication Before Editing for details). Where a child is detached, a research note should normally be added to explain briefly why, even if it is just to say there is no good source for the relationship.
• Do not number (#) the list of children unless the birth order is certain and supported by primary evidence. Use bullet points instead (*).

16. Consider creating a profile for a parent named in a primary source if one does not exist, and also creating a profile for each child . If all known children do have a profile attached, click “No more children” under the list of children in Edit view.

17. Compare dates/places in the profile’s data fields to the SOURCED entries in the biography. Are they the same? If not, adjust them.

• Do not add specific places of birth/marriage and death to the datafields unless there is a source to support that info. If you don't have a sourced place, add only the estimated country, marked uncertain.
• Do not use the {{Estimated Date}} template for births and deaths unless the dates are unevidenced guesstimates. The template should not normally be used where a birth or death is "before” or "after" a date, with a source for that. On older profiles, if a guesstimate is not possible, at least select "about/uncertain but non-living”.

18. Acknowledgements for gedcom imports or minor changes aren’t necessary as they can be seen in the changes tab. They can be removed completely or you may add something like: “Click the Changes tab to see edits to this profile. Thank you to everyone who contributed.”

19. Images should be relevant to the profile and must not infringe copyright. Wikimedia Commons is one of many places where you can find images to use on the profile. Each image has information on if and how you can use the image and download options. Always choose the highest resolution available, Wikitree will re-size the image to a thumbnail, profile photo or background. There needs to be an indication in comments on the image of where it has come from and why it is permissible to use it.

• This free space page lists some Galleries and Collections which have given general permission for the use of images on WikiTree, and the form of accreditation they ask for.
• Background images, if used, should be unobtrusive. See this G2G discussion.
• Images should be inserted inside biography sections only sparingly and where there is a real need. They take up screen space and cause readers to do more scrolling to read profiles, especially on small-screen devices like smartphones. Normally it is enough to have the image on the right-hand side of the profile, outside the biography section.
• Heraldry: DO NOT ADD unless you have a very good source for the image you're adding. A profile comment should be posted BEFORE adding heraldry found in an internet search (these are often disproved or not applicable to the profile in question). No coat of arms should be added to any profile unless there is clear evidence from the College of Arms that arms have been granted or descent proven. Look here for further information.
• Linking to an image of a source (i.e., a picture of a page in a book) is NOT a sufficient reference. If the source is available online, simply include the link to the source in the full citation given on the profile page (see Help: Sources), rather than adding an image of the page (which may violate copyright restrictions).

20. Coloured text should not be used. (It can be difficult for people with sight problems or colour blindness.)

21. Do not use tables in biography sections. They frequently cause display problems, with some columns difficult or impossible to read, sometimes with columns being invisible on most devices, and even narrow tables are very hard for people to read on smartphones. If you find a table on a profile, replace it, with the relevant information presented as normal text.

22. Review any stickers. They should be used sparingly on Project-managed profiles. Location stickers should normally be removed unless there is a clear need for them which cannot be met by simple categorisation. Stickers for One-Name studies should generally be left untouched. If in doubt about a sticker, you can consult the Project Leadership.

23. Read through the profile again to check that it flows, makes sense, and genealogical "vitals" (parents, birth, marriage, children, death) are sourced and easily found.

24. Update the Team spreadsheet if necessary and let a Team leader know you've finished work on the profile … you’re DONE!! Congratulations and thank you!

25. Pat yourself on the back … you just improved our shared tree and many will be grateful for your hard work!