Overview
A source table helps a researcher slow down before public copy is written. Each row should keep the source, exact clue, interpretation, evidence level, claim status, privacy risk, and next check separate.
What this helps you learn
- A source table makes strong claims reviewable by showing which source supports which sentence.
- The table can hold census, church, land, military, pension, court, newspaper, map, oral-history, DNA-lead, and place-hub clues without collapsing them into one proof.
- It is especially useful for Foundational Black Americans research where records may conflict, use harmful language, or leave gaps.
Careful claims
- Do not treat a completed table as certification of identity, ancestry, tribe, nationality, DNA conclusions, legal status, descent, or membership.
- Do not publish private source images, living-person details, current addresses, or contact information just because they appear in a table.
- Do not erase uncertainty; keep open, debated, and source-needed rows visible.
Research path
- Create columns for citation, date, place, people named, exact clue, interpretation, claim supported, evidence level, privacy risk, and next check.
- Add a separate row when one source supports more than one claim.
- Move sensitive claims to Source Review before turning the table into public prose.
Source trail
- FOBA Source Review – Internal review workflow for claim wording.
- FOBA Evidence Gates – Internal evidence-level guide.
- FOBA Safe Sharing – Privacy guardrails.
Evidence note: This starter entry is educational. Add sources, dates, maps, Community Notes, and Fact Checks as research develops.