Notes on Application for Membership

Client Communications, Research Reports and Family Trees [Hide]

Applicants must comply with the following guidelines regarding client reports and associated documents:

1. Client Communications
   
   Applicants are required to provide evidence of their communications with clients relating to the report(s) they are submitting. The sequence of events from receipt of the initial enquiry to the submission of the final report should be clear to the reader. Communications can include correspondence by email, text, WhatsApp etc. Any confidential information should be redacted. Relevant conversations should be summarised and included as necessary.
2. Research Reports
   
   Applicants are required to demonstrate their ability to write clear reports for clients with limited knowledge of genealogical sources and research procedures. Reports submitted should be clearly laid out and well written, and include the following elements:
   
   
   • A summary of the aims of the research. (This should be written specifically for the purpose of the application to summarise what was agreed with the client if it has not been included in the original report).
   • An account of the sources consulted and how the research was carried out.
   • A summary of the findings.
   • Suggestions for further research.
   Reports written for clients should include sufficient details of the procedure that was followed and the sources that were consulted to enable the research to be reviewed, and potentially resumed, by another researcher at a later date. Further information on the details about sources that should be included in client reports can be found in the section on the research assignment below.
   
   Applicants submitting reports produced as employees of third parties should provide details of any house style or editorial conventions they have been required to follow.
3. Family Trees
   
   The single report submitted by applicants with recognised qualifications, and at least one of the reports submitted by all other applicants, must be accompanied by a drop-line family tree. This should show what definite or hypothetical relationships have been established and include details of dates and places of birth, baptism, marriage, death and burial, and occupations, when these are known. It should be drawn using a standard Office or graphics program and submitted in PDF or JPG format. It must not be automatically generated using a family history software program or website.
   
   The family tree submitted may be constructed specifically for the purpose of the application if it was not originally prepared for the client.

Applicants should seek the permission of their client or employer before submitting documentation relating to research they have been paid to carry out.

The Research Assignment [Hide]

All applicants except those holding an IHGS Diploma in Genealogy or the Family History Skills and Strategies (FHSS) Advanced Certificate (awarded jointly by Pharos Tutors and the Society of Genealogists) who have already carried out a similar assignment) are required to provide further evidence of their knowledge and competence by undertaking a research assignment set by the Board of Assessors.

Applicants are required to select the county in which they would like to carry out any research in archives, and requested to select a second county whenever possible to facilitate the identification of a suitable assignment.

All applicants for Membership of AGRA are expected to have, and to be able to demonstrate, practical experience of undertaking research using original documents in archives however the extent to which that may be required for the research assignment will depend on the extent to which sources relevant to the assignment are available online. Applicants are expected to use their professional judgement to decide whether and to what extent research in archives may be necessary to achieve the best possible outcome within the time available, in the same way as they would for a paying client. Although applicants are not expected to visit archives outside the county or counties they have selected, they may be set an assignment encompassing a wider geographical area if images of relevant sources for neighbouring counties are available online.

The starting point for the assignment will typically take the form of a birth certificate from the mid-nineteenth century, with the request to research and progress a specific family line back as far as possible from the starting point within the time available. The purchase of copies of documents or additional civil registration certificates or PDFs will not be required.

Applicants will be given approximately six weeks to carry out the research and write their report. All work in connection with the assignment should be undertaken within a maximum 20-hour period, to include the time taken for writing the report and constructing the family tree. Applicants may request further clarification as to what is required by contacting the Chair of the Board of Assessors, in the same way as they might seek clarification from a paying client.

A report must be submitted by the date specified, written as though reporting to an imaginary client with limited knowledge of genealogical sources and research procedures. The report must include:

• A summary of the aims of the research.
• An explanation of the process that was followed.
• An account of the sources that were consulted and the searches that were made.
• An account of what was found and the conclusions that can be drawn.
• A summary of the findings.
• Suggestions for what further research might be possible.

Sufficient information about the sources consulted should be included to enable the research to be reviewed, and potentially resumed, by another researcher at a later date. The information provided about sources should include:

• The nature and scope of the sources consulted.
• How relevant documents were identified (e.g. using online or printed indexes, or systematically browsing through original sources or digital or microfilm images).
• How relevant documents were accessed (e.g. original sources in archives, digital or microfilm images, printed or online transcripts etc.)
• Document locations and references (e.g. for a census return: piece, folio and page).
• Periods searched, noting any obvious gaps in sources or impaired legibility.
• Surname variants searched for (if applicable).
• Search results, both positive and negative.

The report must be accompanied by a drop-line family tree. This should show what definite or hypothetical relationships have been established and include details of dates and places of birth, baptism, marriage, death and burial, and occupations, when these are known. It should be drawn using a standard Office or graphics program and submitted in PDF or JPG format. It must not be automatically generated using a family history software program or website.

An account of the time spent on each part of the assignment must also be included.

The report submitted will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Ability to understand and comply with instructions.
• Research methodology.
• Knowledge and understanding of genealogical sources.
• Ability to draw sound conclusions based on what has been found.
• Report writing skills (including the production of drop-line pedigrees).
• Effective use of time and ability to work within a specified timescale.

Palaeography Exercise [Hide]

Membership applicants are expected to be able to read the various styles of handwriting found in nineteenth-century documents, registered copies of PCC wills and eighteenth-century deeds.

Applicants will be supplied with a digital image of an original document a few weeks before their interview, and given one week to produce a transcription, to be submitted in electronic format.