Is it better to add FamilySearch sources and linls than Ancestry.com sharing links?

Question

Someone changed my FamilySearch Sources after a merge to Ancestry.com sharing links. If researchers don't have Ancestry.com membership they won't be able to see the original documents, only information about the subject. One of these Ancestry sources in question doesn't provide a original document even with membership, but FamilySearch does, which I often find as the case. This is why I prefer FamilySearch sources. Is it OK that I change these Ancestry.com sources and links back to FamilySearch?

Thank You in advance,

Jenny Lawless

Comments

At the very least, citations for free-access sources should not be removed in favor of citations for fee-access sources.

Also, and especially since you are a co-manager of the referenced profile, you should feel free to restore the deleted citations.

These are my opinions, at least.

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Thank you!

Answer 1

Is it not possible to have both?

Comments

Valid point. But is it necessary. Considering it's adding duplicates?

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Any day either can be down.

Answer 2

The Ancestry sharing links are free.  You do not have to have an Ancestry account to see them.

Comments

You're correct, but one can't see the original document, just transcribed text. The sharing also may not show all valuable information listed in the document that could be helpful for research.

Answer 3

Both are acceptable and indeed it is fine to include both citations in the profile.

In the case where there is an image that is only available on Ancestry then I would encourage using the Ancestry citation with the sharing link (when the person adding the source has an Ancestry subscription). That way anyone (no need for subscription) can view the image and see any info that was not transcribed.

If there is no image then you could say that the FamySearch subscription is better since the transcription on FamilySearch is free to view. But if the citation contains all the correct reference information it easy to find on either site. So it is always important to have a full citation rather than just a link.

Comments

Yes I have referenced ancestry sources when I can't find the information free. And yes, with the full citation.

Answer 4

This is a great question! I would think it has to do mostly with whether the source is a reliable one, such as a primary source. Both of these can be found of each of the sites you asked about. To me, it seems the major difference is if the source is only a transcript with the information given, as opposed to access to a digital upload of a document which you can actually see and discern with your own eyes. 

I have found the Wikitree Reliable sources Page to be quite helpful!

Answer 5

It looks like this could have occurred due to a merge of two profiles. The user probably chose his format because he had inline citations.

If that is the case, this would be a good point to discuss when the merge is first proposed, and then to make any corrections after the merge is complete.