Where does this format come from?

Question

I'm working on women's profiles with LNAB Unknown/Current Name Unknown and have come across a group of profiles with a format that has <ref>Source: [[#S-309529935]] </ref> and <ref>Source: [[#S-309464354]]  Year: 1900; Census Place: Piqua Ward 4, Miami, Ohio; Roll: 1305; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0096; FHL microfilm: 1241305  </ref> ... but no links.  Are these unsourced?

like this one: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Snyder-6904

Comments

Although many like to use links as part of a source, and they certainly are a convenience, a well written source does not require a link. Considering how short the lifetime of a link is, there is an argument for not using them.

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Arguments have been made for providing both, as they serve different purposes. Considering that WT does not have a space limit, unlike publishing a paper, there is no good reason not to provide both.

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Eric, this type of profile has no soul ... and the duplicated sources makes me crazy.  So I did a little rewrite on the profile. Check it out. Some PMs object to the tables, but I like them as they save a lot of typing.

Answer 1

Hi Jo,

Robert Teague is correct, and Kitty Smith is correct too, but I think it needs some elaboration.

In your example, this data right here is very important:

Year: 1900; Census Place: Piqua Ward 4, Miami, Ohio; Roll: 1305; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0096; FHL microfilm: 1241305

As Kitty eluded to, this is enough information to go right to the actual source. But, it's also not a direct link to the source, like in the FamilySearch provided citations that are usually copied into the WikiTree profile. 

So on one hand, it could be said that it is "well sourced", meaning that all the relevant information is there, if you know how to go look for it. And I think that's the key right there.

So I would suggest that an improvement would be to add a direct link to the source, in addition to those other details. While the FamilySearch citations are generally not up to professional genealogy standards, they are a good starting point and provide a direct link which is very useful for anyone to come along that wants to check the sources themselves.

Answer 2

These show up in GEDCOM imports that have Ancestry sources attached to them.

Answer 3

Hi Jo, No those are well sourced.  They don't have links, but they state specifically where the information can be found. Anyone can verify their research if they want to locate each source.  These would be considered wonderful in pre-internet eras.