HELP! Record Hints Review Beta

maryellenstevensbarnes1

On my first time trying out Record Hints Review, I'm discovering many indexing errors- here's a screenshot — just one of many

Look particularly at line 91 when I see the indexing errors and correct Hicks to Wicks, should I go to the person page and make the corrections there? On Willis Hicks GVZP-31H do I proceed and make changes to all the children & also child's person page? I'm really excellent at correcting indexing errors & typos on original documents/records -Maybe I should be doing that instead?? And how could I only do that? Also, as I looked at instructions & tips for Record Hints Review I couldn't find help there, so where should I look? And how should I have tagged this question?

Jacob Ceran

When I see the indexing errors and correct [them], should I go to the person page and make the corrections there?

YES! You should correct the index (through the edit function) AND correct the mistakes on the person page. This will helps both the research and FamilySearch. Otherwise, other contributors may be basing their research on incorrect data (Hicks, not Wicks) which could easily lead to connecting wrong family-lines and more confusion down the line. So 100% fix them on both! (And if you see that a good portion of the record is indexed incorrectly, I would recommend reaching out to FamilySearch.)

On Willis Hicks GVZP-31H do I proceed and make changes to all the children & also child's person page?

A: If the information on Willis Hick's children is based on the incorrect indexed data from the record, then yes! Same principle applies as mentioned earlier. - It can be frustrating to go back and "redo" previous work, but accuracy of sources/indexes makes big difference. So thank you for seeing the mistakes and working to fix them! -

I'm really excellent at correcting indexing errors & typos on original documents/records -Maybe I should be doing that instead?? And how could I only do that?

- That is awesome! You could potentially reach out to FamilySearch and see if they have any volunteer/paid positions in data corrections (there's no harm in asking). - It might be hard to try to view EVERY record and correct EVERY index, if needed, but I would recommend always using the "actual" image/record of the source when you input data to ensure the most accurate information is used (It's just a good habit to get into!). And if you see other errors on records, fix them (and all the information reliant on them (e.g. Hicks to Wicks), if time permits. In cases where your focus is on research and not data corrections, I would recommend using "Collaborate" tool on the "person's" page.

- Collaborate: Using the "Collaborate" tool on the person's page to inform of any mistake (based on incorrectly indexed records, etc.) that are relevant to the person/family; if you don't have time to halt your own research. That way other researchers will at least be aware of the problem and they can correct any information needing to be corrected.

Also, as I looked at instructions & tips for Record Hints Review I couldn't find help there, so where should I look? And how should I have tagged this question?

A: I might be not understanding the question, help on incorrectly indexed records? On the record, there is a "?" on the right side of the record (in the update version) or on the top of every page there is a "?" with a menu that has Help Center with options to Search Help Center, Community (where we are now), Contact Us, and "Helper Resources". If you can't find an answer to any question, I would searching help articles, Community (to see if someone else has the same issue), or just contacting FamilySearch after utilized all those resources.

PS.

I am just another FamilySearch user. So any suggestion/answer should be received with that in mind.

maryellenstevensbarnes1

@Jacob Ceran Thank you, thank you!! I'm so excited now to move forward (after the holidays) BTW I'm "just another user" too but "other users" are where I get lots of help! and there are no "paid" positions that I know of (except maybe tech/engineers) with FS. Merry Christmas and thanks again. Mary

gandj.hb1.5375447689367432E12

I saw your question about "I see the indexing errors and correct [them], should I go to the person page and make the corrections there". I think you should look at all the sources for a person/family before you change the the name on the person page, and see what the majority of the records show. You shouldn't make a change because of one error in one document. I like the idea of the other user to put your info in Collaborate. (Also just another user.)