Confused by Original Records, Image Copies, and Derivatives?

Elizabeth Shown Mills has produced a “Quick Lesson” on original records and derivatives that is well worth a good read.

She explains the differences between originals and various derivatives (such as certified copies, clerk’s copies, transcripts, extracts, and more). She then helps guide the reader through an understanding of the “quality” of each. The salient point she makes is that an exercise in good judgment on our part is always necessary. While there are principles we need to follow in the evaluation of our sources, there are few hard and fast rules. Her article is filled with examples of this.

The article is a bit long and the topic is technical…and the whole discussion is essential to good research evaluation.

You can find the article at Evidence Explained | QuickLesson 10: Original Records, Image Copies, and Derivatives