Tom Jones Compares Editions of Genealogy Standards Manual

With all the excitement over the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) releasing Genealogy Standards, an updated version of their standards manual published in 2000, there have been inquiries about the differences in the two editions. Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG^SM, CGL^SM , the editor of the book, answered questions on a private mailing list and gave me permission to share his response here:

"The revision is both longer and shorter. Five appendixes (86 pages) in the 2000 edition show examples of different kinds of genealogical compilations and reports, all fictitious. The 2014 edition replaces that section with a 3-page list of online and print resources for non-fictitious examples. The new edition also contains a 17-page glossary, which the prior edition does not have.

Not only does the newer edition have fewer pages, they are smaller in size. The font size is not smaller. The new edition's 83 standards fill 41 pages, where the earlier edition's 72 standards fill 25 larger pages. The standards in both editions cover the same principles, but they are reorganized in the new edition, as well as updated to reflect relevant advances in technology and science since 1999. The reorganization includes separating multi-part standards, combining related concepts into one standard (thus minimizing repetition and redundancy), and grouping standards to reflect more clearly the structure of the genealogy discipline's skill set. Each standard now bears a title/descriptor. The new edition aims for greater clarity, stronger connections to genealogists and their work, and closer ties to the Genealogical Proof Standard. Watch the Website for charts showing the correspondence between the two editions' standards numbers."

Pre-order the book:

SAVE 20%! To place a specially-priced, pre-publication order with delivery in the first part of February 2014, visit http://www.bcgcertification.org/catalog/index.html. Regularly priced at $14.95, the pre-publication price is $11.95 before January 27, 2014.

To read the press release from the Board for Certification of Genealogists on Genealogy Standards see this post:

New Genealogy Standards Manual