Evidentia v3 User Guide
The intent of this user guide is to get you up and running with Evidentia as quickly as possible. It will cover the mechanics of the program (what does what) and some basic methodology (how to get started with your research).
This guide will not cover research best practices in detail, nor will it address how to tackle tough research questions using Evidentia. For that we refer you to the Evidentia website http://evidentiasoftware.com, and the many online resources on genealogy research.
Thank you for making Evidentia part of your genealogy toolbox. We know it will help you organize your information, analyze your evidence, and share your research results with the genealogy community.
Identify a Source - Quick View
Identify a Source - Detail View
Citation Title for Reports (Detail Only)
Citation Listing (Detail Only)
Source Box (Detail Only, FamilySearch Only)
Link Derived Source to Original (Detail Only, Derived Record or Authored Work Only)
Allow Conclusion edits when missing analysis
What’s with the funky angle brackets?
Subject Sources on FamilySearch
When you first open the program, you will be presented with the Evidentia logo screen. At the top of the screen you will find the main toolbar. From here you will access the many tools available to you in the application
The Challenge Star and Menu options will be discussed later in this help guide. Let’s jump into the main Activity Tabs.
Evidentia will help you organize, analyze, and share your research. The main activities in Evidentia that help you reach that goal are
In Evidentia, a source record is identified by assigning it a title, classifying the record, and creating a citation listing.
On the left you will see a list of source records that have already been entered into Evidentia. Selecting a source displays a list of citations that have been created for that source.
In this example, 3 different fragments of the source have been cited, so there are three separate citation listings.
Each list can be filtered by entering text into the filter box. The filter will be applied to the source or citation title.
On the right side of the screen is the main work area. Here is where you will enter a title, classify the source, and create your citation listings.
Assign a title meaningful to you. Keep in mind that the source list is organized by title. When you create the title for a source, Evidentia will automatically create a citation title as well. You are encouraged to change the citation title to something that will be meaningful to you.
Evidentia offers three different methods for entering a citation listing: enter the listing in the Citation Listing box, double-click the box to open a popup editor, or use Evidentia’s Template system.
The first two options are quick if you know what you want, or want to customize a listing. You are also free to copy a citation from another program and paste it into the edit box.
Using Evidentia’s Template system to create your citation offers many benefits however.
To bring up the Template selection screen, click on the Template button. This will open the Template selection screen.
You may select a template from the list, filter based on title, or filter based on a predefined template category.
After you select a template from the list, you can see a preview on the right.
Once you have found the template you want, click on the Select button.
As you fill out the fields, you get a preview of the listing on the right. Once all the fields are filled out, click on the Save Citation button to add the listing to your record.
At this point you should see an entry in the Source Listing for this record, AND an entry for the Citation listing.
The lock icon next to each listing shows that the listing was created with a template, and is “locked” in template mode.
Once you have used a template to create a listing, that template stays with the listing. Double-clicking the edit box will no longer open the popup editor; instead it will reopen the Citation Creation dialog so that you can edit the listing by field.
If you wish to edit the listing using the popup editor instead of the Template editor, simply double-click the lock, and the lock will open. To go back to the template, double-click the open lock.
Note that once you have edited the listing outside of the template editor, the listing may be out of sync with the template fields. That’s OK, just move on the the next step. You seldom need to edit a listing once it has been created.
Congratulations! You have identified your first source record!
Before we leave this screen for the next activity, let’s look at the other actions you can take on this screen.
Click this to clear all fields in preparation for a new source record entry.
Create a copy of the current source record and clear all citation record fields. Copy is useful if you are entering a series of similar records and just want to make simple tweaks to the title and listing.
Delete the current source and any related data linked to this source (citations, claims, proofs, etc…). You will be prompted to confirm this destructive action.
Attach a PDF, image file, word document, or any other file type to this source record.
Evidentia does not have its own file viewers, but will instead open the file with the default file reader defined in your operating system based on the file type.
Clicking this will clear all citation fields for a new citation record entry. The new entry will be attached to the same source.
Create a copy of the current citation record. Copy is useful if you are entering a series of similar records and just want to make simple tweaks to the title and listing. The new citation will be attached to the same source record as the original.
Delete the current citation and any related data linked to this citation (claims, proofs, etc…) . You will be prompted to confirm this destructive action.
Attach a PDF, image file, word document, or any other file type to this source record.
Attaching files to a source or citation makes the file accessible from within Evidentia, which is easier than having to navigate to a new directory. Attach files to the source if they apply to the entire record, or to the citation if the file is only relevant to the portion of the source being referenced.
For example, if you have a PDF containing an entire book, you would attach that to the source, since you might be referencing multiple pages in different citations. If you have an image of a single page from the book you are referencing, you would attach that to the citation as a “fragment”.
Attachments show up as “chips” on the bottom of the screen. Buttons for editing or deleting the attachment are contained on the “chip”.
Clicking on the middle of the “chip” will open the file using whatever default file reader you have assigned to the file type on your Mac or PC. Attachments are also viewable from the Digital File Browser screen.
Evidentia initially presents you with a simplified screen showing only the required data fields. We know that citation creation is not “sexy” and the goal is to get you through it as quickly as possible.
However sometimes you may want to put more detail into your source record. You can do that by toggling the Identify a Source screen into Detail mode.
Enter a short title to be displayed in the Source list.
Select a source classification from the drop down list. Options include
A user defined reference number. Useful if you want to map this record to a record in another genealogy program, or assign a serial number to a physical file system.
The listing for the entire source, typically used in a bibliography. If you use a template to create a Citation Listing, this field is created as well.
Any notes you wish to attach to the source record. If the note applies to only one portion of the source, consider creating a citation note instead.
Enter a short title to be used in the Citation List. Include something to differentiate this citation from other citations for the same source (page number, person of interest, etc…).
Sometimes the title used for the list is NOT the title you want to appear in a report. By default, this will be a copy of the Citation Title.
The listing for this portion of the source record, typically used in a footnote. In Evidentia ALL citation records must be properly cited, so unlike the Source Listing, this field is required.
Any notes you wish to attach to the citation record. If the note applies to the entire source consider creating a source note instead.
The Detail screen includes two FamilySearch related fields.
If you have included your FamilySearch login information in the Third Party Tools tab of the settings screen, this button will allow you to match your source record to one you have saved on the FamilySearch website.
If you know the code assigned to a similar record in FamilySearch, you can enter it here.
The Detail Screen includes an additional Source button.
If you have classified the source record as a derived Record or an Authored work, AND you have a copy of the Original record that this record was derived from, or that was used as a source by the author, you can link the two records using this button.
If you have classified the source as an Original Record, this button will be hidden.
The second activity supported by Evidentia is the collecting and cataloguing of the information in the source record that is of interest to you in your research.
This is where you will enter the information from the source record that is important to you.
This image above shows what the Catalogue Information screen looks like with a citation selected. If a citation is not selected, or if no claims have been entered for the record, the screen will display an empty table and two buttons: Mini-Editor and Add Claim Row.
Click on this button to add an empty row to the top of the table.
Claims are entered in the first column by completing the sentence “This record claims that…”. The information is referred to as a claim because at this point we are not making any judgement about the information's accuracy - we are simply entering what the record says.
Double-click in the first column to open a popup editor for entering the claim.
When entering a claim, do not correct any misspellings (although you may enter corrections in [brackets] to indicate editorial changes).
Also, do not write your analysis of the claim in this box - you will do that in activity three from the Analyze Evidence screen. Just document the facts as they are documented in the source record.
At this point the document is telling you that “some person with the same name as your ancestor” did something. We will concern ourselves with whether or not this is really our ancestor later.
The last thing you want to do is introduce errors when you are capturing your claims. Enter the Mini-editor!
The mini-editor is an “always on top” window that can be moved onto digital images and documents, making it easier to collect information without introducing errors.
As an added bonus, it can be resized to act as a ruler beneath long lines of data.
The same rules for entering data apply: completing the sentence “This record claims that…”, and not introducing analysis into the claim.
When you have entered your claim, click on the + button or select Ctrl-Enter. A new claim row will be added, and the editor is ready for the next entry. No need to return to the main screen until you are finished collecting your information.
On the Identify a Source screen you were able to classify your source record. On the Catalogue Information screen you classify your information.
Following best practices in genealogy, information is classified based on the informant as
These classifications will assist us in evaluating the relevance and accuracy of the information later.
The last box is where we will tag the claim with the name of the subject or subjects we think the information provides evidence for.
Click in the rightmost box and the Tag Claim dialog will open.
The claim you are tagging is displayed at the top.
Tagging a claim involves selecting a claim type referred to by the claim, and selecting the subject referred to by the claim.
Claim Types can be one of three modes:
Person mode defines claim types that apply to a single person. This does not mean that the claim itself cannot apply to more than one person, only that the fact or event does not define a relationship.
Couple-Relationship mode defines claim types that involve two people - Marriage, for example. Evidentia will prompt you to select both subjects in the relationship. You are not required to select both, but the end goal will be to prove the relationship between two specific people.
Parent-Child-Relationship mode defines claim types involving one parent and one child. Evidentia treats the relationship between each parent and child as separate relationships (Father-Child, Mother-Child).
Once you have selected a set of Claim Types and Subjects, remember to select the Add Tag button. Doing so will show you the tags in the table below the entry area.
When you are done tagging the claim, close the Tag Claim dialog and you will see your tags in the last column of the claim row.
Once you have collected a few source records and catalogued the claims in those records, you are ready for the third activity in Evidentia: analyzing the evidence.
The third activity supported by Evidentia is the display and analysis of all the evidence you have collected for a single subject, based on claim type.
For example, to see all the evidence you have collected on the Birth of David Thompson, you select David from the first drop down and Birth from the second.
Evidentia will display ALL the evidence from ALL the sources tagged with David’s Birth.
The first column displays the claim, as well as any classifications.
If you do not wish to see the classifications, you can select the Collapse button in the Table header. This will give you more screen space so that you can view more claims at one time.
Unclassified sources, information (claims) or evidence will be noted in red. Before Evidentia will unlock the Conclusion text box, ALL sources, information and evidence tagged for the this claim type/subject must be classified.
If you double-click inside the box, Evidentia will navigate to the Catalogue Claims screen, allowing you to choose a classification for the claim. To update the source classification, simply navigate to the Identify a Source screen. Evidence classification is done in the second column of the Analyze Evidence screen.
On the Identify a Source screen you were able to classify your source record. On the Catalogue Information screen you were able to classify your information. On the Analyze Evidence screen you classify your evidence.
Following best practices in genealogy, information is classified based on the informant as
These classifications will assist us in evaluating the relevance and accuracy of the information later.
The analysis text field is where you write your analysis of the evidence as it applies to the current proof. It is beyond the scope of this help guide to describe what qualifies as a good or acceptable analysis. For the sake of the readability of the report, follow these guidelines:
If you feel constrained by the limited size of the edit box, you may double-click within the box to open and expand the evidence analysis editor. The editor includes the information from the claim at the top, and adequate space for entering a detailed analysis on the bottom half of the screen.
By default, Evidentia will not allow you to write your conclusion until:
You will see a check mark on the right of the analysis box for each row. A grey check mark identifies a claim that is incomplete. A green check mark identifies a completed claim.
Go for the green!
Once your analysis is complete, it is time to write your conclusion. The Conclusion button at the top will open the conclusion box.
The text box on the left is where you will write your conclusion. As with the analysis box, you can double-click to open a popup editor.
The conclusion fields are where you can write your conclusion in a short form. These fields will be used for GEDCOM exports, FamilySearch sharing, and the Evidentia challenges.
The checkboxes on the right have a special purpose.
If a claim changes, your conclusion needs to be reviewed. Evidentia will flag a conclusion in “Review” if you add, update, or delete a claim. Proofs needing review will appear in the Proofs Needing Review report. You are free to uncheck this box once you have reviewed your proof. Evidentia does not automatically uncheck this box.
If you have written a conclusion, but do not feel that your argument is strong (usually due to not enough evidence) you can flag it as “Inconclusive”. Like “Review”, “Inconclusive” proofs will appear in the Proofs Needing Review report.
“Disproven” is a new flag that allows you to identify a proof that proves something is not true. Sometimes disproving a proof can be just as important as proving one. This flag is also used by the Evidentia challenges.
Before we move on, there are two more buttons on the Analyze Evidence Screen.
The Date Calculator button opens up a separate window for the Date Calculator tool.
The Proof button will generate a proof report using the default parameters assigned in the Report Manager screen. Note that a proof does NOT need to be complete to generate a proof report.
Identify a Source, Catalogue Claims, and Analyze Evidence are the three main activities in Evidentia. The rest of this guide will focus on the variety of tools available to help you get the most from Evidentia.
Settings for the program are accessed from the Settings button on the top toolbar.
Stuff happens, and sometimes Evidentia support may need to get involved to identify the stuff. If you select the check box and repeat the problem, a log file is created that can be shared with support.
The log created can also be viewed and cleared from this screen.
It should be noted that turning this option on may impact performance. Although the impact is minimal, it is recommended that debug mode be used only as needed.
Licensed users are entitled to free updates of the same major version of Evidentia. The major version is signified by the first digit of the version number. By default, Evidentia will check for a new version on the internet and alert you if a new version is available.
You may disable this feature by selecting this check box.
Tells Evidentia to prompt you to backup your data when the program closes. Backups will be created with date time stamps rather than with instance numbers, and no maximum number of backups is defined.
By default new claim rows are added to the top of the claims list on the Catalogue Claims screen. This switch reverses that behavior, adding the rows to the bottom. This is simply to support personal preference.
To facilitate a good proof statement, the conclusion summary box on the Analyze Evidence screen is locked by Evidentia until all analysis has been complete. This means all the sources, information, and evidence must be classified, and an analysis must exist for every claim (analysis row).
This feature may be disabled by selecting this check box.
By default, Evidentia displays the list pane on the left of the work pane. This option switches that behavior.
By default Evidentia will wrap titles appearing in lists (e.g., Source list, Citation list) allowing you to view the entire title. This option disables the word wrapping feature and turns on horizontal scrollbars for the list.
This option will include any Subject Ref No. in the displayed list of names.
Tooltips can be helpful at first, but annoying after you learn the program. You can turn them off here.
A new feature of Evidentia is the Evidentia Challenges. Some people will find them fun, others may feel they trivialize the research process. This flag will hide the challenge button and turn off background challenge calculations.
Early on, users discovered that whenever they entered some claim types, they always entered a Residence claim type as well. Evidentia will automatically add the Residence claim type for any of the claim types flagged above.
You have saved the effort of inputting extra data at the risk of creating claim types that may not always be appropriate. for instance, what if the claim notes a date of birth but not a place? You must then delete a claim type Evidentia has created. Consideration should be given to what is more convenient, deleting unwanted entries or almost always creating desirable ones. Use of this feature is left to your discretion.
Have a favorite color? Evidentia can be customised. Click a theme and find one you like. Options have been limited to themes that do not decrease readability.
Early on, users decided that segmenting their research by using separate databases was a useful feature (one for each client, for example). The second options tab supports this functionality.
Selecting this will prompt you for a filename, and an optional description for a new database. The new database will be created with a default set of templates and claim types. The new database will be added to the table of known databases on this screen.
Creates a copy of the current database , with a timestamp included in the file name. If Evidentia is managing digital files, the backup file will be in the /Apps/EvidentiaSoftware/Backups directory.
Prompts you for a previous backup file, unzips it, and copies it to the current database directory (not necessarily its original location). Data in the current database will be lost. The restored database becomes the current database. Please be aware that Evidentia 1.x backups are NOT compatible with Evidentia 3
The Other button hides options that are infrequently used.
Sometimes databases can become corrupted or littered with old data. This feature attempts to clean up the database and update it to the most current model. It also rebuilds the directory record used by the Digital File Browser and syncs the database list with the cloud storage provider (if configured).
Converts data from Evidentia 1.6 to the new Evidentia 3.0+ format. You may select an original database file from Evidentia 1.6 (NOT a backup file) and Evidentia will import the data into the current 3.x database, overwriting any existing data.
Evidentia stores backup files and attached records where you tell it to. If you are storing these files locally, you can indicate the base directory here.
Evidentia will create an EvidentiaSoftware directory at the selected location, and use that location for backups and attached files.
If you use Dropbox, by allowing Evidentia access to Dropbox you are able to keep files synchronized on multiple devices.
Simply select “I want to use Dropbox to Sync my databases, and Evidentia will store database data on Dropbox. When another device also configured this way starts Evidentia, Evidentia will sync with the latest copy of your database.
You can also choose whether you want Evidentia to a) store backup files on Dropbox, and/or b) store file attachments on Dropbox.
Finally, if you let Evidentia know where on your local device the Dropbox directory is created, you can improve performance and let Dropbox handle the synchronization instead of Evidentia.
You may revoke these permissions at any time.
Over time, Evidentia will integrate with other tools you might find useful to your research.
Currently FamilySearch is the only integration included, but we expect this to change in the future.
In order to allow Evidentia to integrate with FamilySearch Family Tree, you must authorize Evidentia by providing your FamilySearch id and password. Note that FamilySearch access is free.
Check the two permissions boxes, click on Authorize FamilySearch Access, and you will see extra features in the application geared towards sharing data.
This guide will provide more details on FamilySearch integration in another section.
Evidentia uses a lot of lists, both internally and for display. It also provides you a means to manage these lists to provide maximum flexibility.
A Subject is an object of research, typically a person, or alternatively a place, an organization, a building - anything deemed worthy of study.
You may create new subjects, update an existing subject, including adding a reference number, delete unwanted subjects, and merge two subjects into one with no loss of data. Simply select a subject from the list to review the data in the form field.
This button will clear all the subject fields in preparation for entering a new subject.
Since version 1.4 Evidentia has supported the ability to import subjects (Persons in this case) from a GEDCOM file. When you select the Import GEDCOM button, you will be prompted for the location of the GEDCOM file.
Evidentia will extract the full name, first and or last name if present, date of birth, and any reference ids assigned by the parent program. If a birth date is present, (optionally) Evidentia will extract the birth year and append it to the name (e.g. ” (ca 1845)” ) before storing it in the main subject table, making it easier to distinguish persons of the same name. If a reference number has been assigned to the person by the parent program, this will also be copied as well.[a]
Any fields extracted during import will be included in any subsequent export of the person.
If you attempt to import more than 2000 subjects in a GEDCOM file, Evidentia will disallow the import and notify the you. Evidentia was NOT designed to handle that quantity of data in a single database, and if you think about how you will be using Evidentia, you will understand why. Evidentia is for detailed research, not processing large batches of data.
Enter the name of your subject. If the subject is a person, use last name first. (e.g., Thompson, Edward). This name will be used to sort the subject in the Subject List.
A name for the same subject, as you want it to appear in reports (e.g., Edward Thompson)
Use this field for anything you want. One example might be to input the id number assigned by another program, such as RootsMagic, making it easier to match the subjects between the two programs.
A place to store the ID of this subject on the FamilySearch Family Tree, Evidentia will populate this field if FamilySearch integration is active and the subject has been matched.
M - Male, F - Female, U - Unknown
Deleting a subject will remove the subject, any evidence attached to this subject, as well as any proofs for this subject.
Loaded too many subjects from a GEDCOM? This function will remove all subjects that are not tagged to a claim, leaving only subjects with evidence.
Evidentia 3 makes significant improvements to the subject merge functionality.
To merge two subjects:
If you click on the Transfer All Subject Data button and nothing happens, that means there is no data in subject two that can be merged into subject one. Review subject two, then simply delete subject two from the Subject List screen.
On the right hand side of the Subject List screen you will see a column of stars.
These stars track your “Proof” progress for each of 5 basic subject proofs. In order from top to bottom these are: Birth, Marriage, Death, Burial, And Parentage.
As each proof is completed the stars are filled in. The last star is half filled for one parent, and completely filled for two. Each proof must have a conclusion, and not be flagged for review, inconclusive, or disproven.
Traditional genealogy programs deal in ‘Facts’ and ‘Events’. Within Evidentia one might consider a ‘Research Problem’ (aka that thing to be ‘proven’) a Fact or Event for a particular Subject.
Rather than use Fact/Event everywhere, and because in Evidentia a Fact isn’t a Fact until proven, Evidentia uses the term ‘Claim Type’. Claim Type, simply, is a classification used for grouping claims.
You are encouraged to customize claim types to suite your needs. Unlike Evidentia 2, where you could add a Claim Type on the Tag Claims screen, this List Manager tab is the ONLY place you can add new Claim Types. This is because Claim Type Mode and Fields are much more important in Evidentia 3.
It is critical that you assign a Mode to your Claim Type. Mode determines how the inputs will be presented on the the Tag Claim screen.
Evidentia 3 introduces the Source List to the List Manager. Similar to the Subject merge, Source merge allows you to move citation entries, and any corresponding claims, from the source on the right to the source on the left.
Source merge can be used to move citations from one source to another, or to move ALL the citations from the source on the right to the source on the left, eliminating the source on the right.
You may find as you are recording your analysis or conclusion, that you want to cite a source to support your argument. This source may have nothing to do with the subject, but provides information that may not be general knowledge.
The Reference List allows you to add citations to sources that document facts outside of a subject’s life. These references can be cited within the analysis or conclusion popup editor.
This button will open the Reference selection box.
You may select a source and citation from the list. You may even select one of your own proofs as a source, and Evidentia will create a citation listing for it.
For example, we know that the subject was 83 at the time of enumeration of the 1910 US Census - but what is the enumeration date? Says who?
By default, Evidentia 3 includes a citation for each US Census that documents the enumeration date. You are free to use these sources or record your own.
This inline citation is displayed as a double cross. Hovering over the symbol will show a tooltip displaying the citation.
At this time the only way a user can edit the reference citation is to delete the symbol and start again.
When reports are generated, the symbol will be created with a footnote indication (a number) and an endnote will be included in the report.
In Evidentia you are able to customize all the sentences generated automatically for reports by selecting the sentence key. Note that new keys CANNOT be added, since Evidentia will not know about them.
Sentence keys with _SHORT options are used the second (or third, fourth, etc…) times a sentence is displayed.
Source types are accessed when attaching documents. New Source Types can be added on the fly or added in the List Manager. They may only be deleted in the List Manager (but may reappear if any attachments are using the Source Type).
When attaching photos to a source, it is sometimes useful to further classify the photo. This list displays the available photo categories. Categories may be added on the fly or from the List manager. They may only be deleted from the List Manager (although they may reappear if any attachments are using the category).
The data has been entered, the analysis is done; now it’s time for the reward - reports!
Evidentia’s reports are organized logically in tabs according to function. Most reports share a common set of options, as shown in the option bar on the right of the screen and described below. The query parameters for each report are relatively straightforward utilizing simple drop down controls or lists.
Your name as you wish it to appear on reports. Also used in GEDCOM exports
PDF or HTML
Evidentia will try its best to match the selected font.
If selected, Evidentia will include a subject’s reference number next to the name in any reports.
If selected, Evidentia will include a source’s reference number next to the title in any reports.
Evidentia has several stock sentences it includes based on source classification, information classification, and evidence classification. When selected, Evidentia will highlight keywords in those selected statements, making them stand out for educational purposes.
The Genealogical Proof Report is the crown jewel of your work in Evidentia. It consolidates your efforts in classification and analysis, and since citations are a required part of the Evidentia workflow, all sources in the report are properly cited.
While the Genealogical Proof Report is not a replacement for the report formats recommended/required by the Board for Certification of Genealogists[1], it is an excellent tool for pulling together the information needed to write those reports, and includes some of the same topic areas.
The report header includes a title as well as the Claim Type and Subject being reported on. If you have entered a preparer in the report options, a third header line appears with the preparer name and preparation date.
Following the Summary of Findings is the Itemized Research Findings section. This section presents each claim in the order indicated on the Evidence Analysis screen.
The first sentence of the first paragraph includes the reference title followed by the claim made by the reference. Next is a sentence summarizing the source classification. If this is the first time that classification is referenced in the report, a long version of the sentence is used, helping to clarify the classification. Subsequent uses of the same classification will exclude the added detail. The third sentence summarizes the information classification, and the last sentence the evidence classification.
The next paragraph presents the analysis as input on the Evidence Analysis screen for that claim.
This pattern is repeated for each claim that is part of the proof. Any reader reviewing the proof can see all the evidence that went into evaluating the final argument.
Following the the Itemized Research Findings section is the Recommendations for Continuing section. Recommendations for Continuing is ONLY included if Research Notes exist for the proof.
The final section is End Notes which includes all the citations for the report.
Evidentia touts itself as a ‘source first’ tool. The Research Summary Report breaks that model.
The Research Summary Report presents you with ALL the claims in ALL the sources for a given subject. It can be used to determine the thoroughness of the research for any given Claim Type. It can also be used in determining missing documents and next steps.
The header of the Research Summary Report is similar to the header of the Genealogical Proof Report. In fact ALL the reports use this header style.
The first section that distinguishes the Research Summary Report is the Summary section. The Summary section outlines each Claim Type associated with a Subject in Evidentia, along with a count of the number of claims (and citations) associated with that Claim Type.
This section also includes a count of how many claims have been reviewed, showing you where you have analysis work to be done.
Following the Summary section is a section for each Claim Type. Evidentia reports on whether a proof has been written for the claim type, which classifications are missing, and what claims are associated with the claim type. For each claim Evidentia will report on what OTHER subjects are associated with the same claim. This can also be useful when writing an analysis.
As always, all sources are properly cited.
The final section is End Notes which includes all the citations for the report.
The Subjects by Source report is a utility report, useful in determining the scope of research.
After the standard header, Evidentia will display the Source listing for the selected source, followed by a citation listing (First Reference) and a list of subjects assigned to that reference.
In brackets following a subject name, you will be presented with a list of claim types for that reference for that subject. Subject/Claim Types are pulled from all the claims made by that source reference.
For each citation listing for a source, the Source Analysis report will present each claim recorded, the classification for the source, information (claim) and/or evidence, and any analysis if the claim is used as evidence.
The Claims by Source report presents all the claims recorded for the chosen source.
The Subjects by Source report presents all the subjects tagged in the chosen source.
The Claims with No Subjects is a utility report, useful in finding claims that are saved without a Subject being assigned. Maybe you missed something, or you may not have known who the subject was when the claim was entered.
The report searches for two types of entries - claim entries with NO subject assigned, and claim entries with a Subject named ‘Unknown’ assigned.
After the standard header, Evidentia will display the Citation title, then the claim. Claims with No Subjects.
Why assign a subject named ‘Unknown’ to a claim? Consider the case of a claim involving three people. You only know two of the three, so two subjects are assigned. Evidentia does not have a way of determining from the claim text that 3 subjects are potentially involved, so finding 2 subjects assigned, does not identify the entry as a Claim without a Subject.
However, if the third person is potentially important to you, assigning the name ‘Unknown’ as the third subject will allow Evidentia to flag the entry for further research.
Note that if 3 subjects are involved and only one is known, you need only assign one ‘Unknown’ subject to the claim - one is enough to trigger the report.
The Proof Requiring Review report will present any proof flagged as needing to be reviewed or inconclusive. This alerts you to any proofs that deserve a second look.
Enough has been said about the state of the GEDCOM and why Evidentia did not initially support GEDCOM export in several online forums.
Suffice it to say, a GEDCOM export was added in 1.4.
You start by selecting a subject. Evidentia will export the following information about the subject:
IF the Subject was imported from a GEDCOM, Evidentia will also include any reference IDs that were included in the import, as well as First name and Last name.
However, since there is no standard for exporting analysis or proof data in a GEDCOM, Evidentia offers several different options for exporting these fields.
Evidentia has no control over how other programs choose to handle their GEDCOM import.
Because their is no standard for analysis and proof,you are encouraged to experiment with different combinations to insure analysis and proof end up where it is desired in the target program.
Things to consider when choosing a target field:
Choosing which fields to export is a matter of personal preference, and what is most important to you.
Evidentia provides a flexible citation templating system that allows you to add and customize your own citation templates. When you select Template Manager from the menu, they are presented with a template edit screen.
Opens the edit screen and clears all fields in preparation for a new template.
You are trying to edit a system template. You should copy the system template and edit the copy. Evidentia will track that this new template is a copy of a system template, and inform you if the system template changes.
Create a copy of the currently selected template.
Delete the currently selected template. This action will not impact existing listings created with the template.
Delete all system templates and restores them to defaults.
You assign a label to the template. The label is user defined and may be anything. Consideration should be given to where you wish the template to appear in the template list.
You must assign a category to each template. They may choose from an already created category, or select their own. Multiple categories can be input; separated with a comma.
You may use this field to describe the template’s intended use. It is useful to indicate the authoritative source upon which the template is based (e.g., Evidence![2], Evidence Explained[3], etc.) and/or the page number wherein it can be found.
This field is where you will define the template for the Source listing.
The rules for creating a template are relatively easy:
HTML markup may no longer be used outside brackets in templates. For example, <i>[Title]</i> should be changed to *[Title]*, and will result in a title printed in italics in reports. Note that the asterisk will appear as is on screen.
Here is an example of a full Source listing template based on ESM[4] p. 211:
[Creator]. *[Website Title]*. [Item Type & Format]. [URL (Digital Location)] : [Year(s)].
Citation templates work the same as Source templates, with the following extra rule:
Field names in brackets in the Citation listing must match the exact label of field names in the Source listing or extra fields will be created.
For example, if the Source listing template uses [Title] as a title field, and the Citation listing wants to use the same data, it must use [Title] as well, not [Short Title] or [Book Title] etc...
Here is an example of a full Citation listing template based on ESM p. 211:
[Creator], *[Website Title]*, [Item Type & Format] ([URL (Digital Location)] : [Date]), [Item Of Interest]; [Credit Line (Source Of This Source)].
Short Listing templates work the same as other templates, with the following extra rule:
Field names in brackets in the short listing must match the exact label of field names in the source/citation listing or extra fields will be created.
For example, if the Source listing template uses [Title] as a title field, and the short listing wants to use the same data, it must use [Title] as well, not [Short Title] or [Book Title] etc...
Here is an example of a full Short listing template based on ESM p. 211:
*[Website Title]*, [Item Type & Format], [Item Of Interest].
Each form field in brackets can also have a tooltip. Tooltips are not required, and you may define as many or as few tooltips as they wish.
The format of a tooltip:
[Title|The title of the work] where “Title” matches [Title] in a source or citation listing, and “The title of the work” is the resulting tooltip.
To define more than one tooltip:
[Title|The title of the work][Publication year|The year the work was published in YYYY format]
Ah, you noticed. Sometimes users don’t provide all the fields “required” by a template. This may leave trailing punctuation marks. Notice the ., 2009 below, because I left off [Place of Publication]:
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. Revised edition. , 2009.
If you want your template to allow for missing fields, surround the field AND optional punctuation with angle brackets <>.
For example:
<[Creator], ><*[Website Title]*, >[Item Type & Format] <([URL (Digital Location)] : [Date]), ><[Item Of Interest]; >[Credit Line (Source Of This Source)].
To import new templates from an existing file, select the Import tab. You will be presented a Open File button. Once selected, the templates will be loaded into the onscreen table.
Evidentia will flag any system templates, duplicate templates (EVERY field is the same), or incomplete templates (templates without source and citation listings defined).
You select which templates to import. The Import Selected Templates button will then pull the new templates into the database.
To export templates, select the Export tab. Evidentia will load all the templates in the current database into the onscreen table.
You select one or more rows to be exported, then clicks Export Selected Templates button. You will be presented with a directory selection popup, and the file “Citations.txt” will be created in that directory.
Evidentia 2.0 introduced digital file attachments to the application. Now you may attach files to sources and/or citations and work with those files within Evidentia.
When a file or a file link is attached to a record, a reference is added to Evidentia’s digital file management system. You may then view the file from the Identify a Source screen, the Catalogue Information screen, or see all the files in an organized structure on the Digital File Browser screen.
The Digital File Browser screen displays all attachments and links in directory like structure, even though the files may not actually be stored in those directories. Whether you link or attach, all references are treated the same within the Digital File Browser screen.
When a file is selected from the directory, a file metadata screen is displayed. This screen displays the actual file name and location, a visual representation of the file, source and citation information from Evidentia, and any Exchangeable image file format (EXIF) data stored in the file if it is an image.
Selecting the location link OR the image of the file will open the file in whatever program is associated with that file type in the your operating system.
Everyone needs some help now and then. At Evidentia Software, we believe in offering help in multiple ways.
Opens this help guide in HTML format in your default browser.
Everyone wants to read credits, right? This is where you find the current version of the program.[c][d]
This option will “phone home” and find out the latest version available, informing you if there is a free upgrade.
Access tricks, tips, tutorial videos, and helpful articles. This option opens http://evidentisoftware.com in your favorite browser.
Recently decide to jump all in? Enter your license key here or from the About screen.
This option will open your favorite browser to the Contact Us page at http://evidentiasoftware.com.
Let’s face it - recording data is not the most glamorous part of our hobby. Evidentia 3 tries to spice things up with the Evidentia Challenges.
Currently we offer only the Lineage Challenge, but expect to see more challenges in the near future. Just a way to add a little more fun to your research.
The rules are simple. Prove a parent-child relationship, and you are Level 1. For each parent-child relationship in that same DIRECT line, Evidentia will reward you with another level in the Lineage Challenge. Evidentia will calculate the longest direct line.
For each parental couple in a level (generation) you get a star. Prove just the father-child relationship, the star is silver. Prove just the mother-child relationship, the star is silver. Prove both the father-child AND the mother-child relationships, and the star is gold.
So for Level 1, you can earn one star, silver or gold. For Level 2 you can earn up to two stars. For Level 3, up to 4 stars, etc...
Reach Level 3, and new challenges will be unlocked. That's just 3 parent-child proofs!
“The 1830 US Census states that the Household of David Thompson included a male between 40 and 49 years of age.”
During the analysis of this claim, wouldn’t it be nice to know what date range this man’s birth date might fall into? It would certainly simplify matching this subject with someone with a known birth date. The Age Calculator helps answer this sort of question.
Simply enter the known end date (the date of enumeration for the 1830 Census, for example), and the latest age in this range (49 years 364 days), and the Age Calculator will calculate a range of dates. The earliest date in this range represents the earliest birth date for our subject.
Repeat the process using the earliest age in the range (40 years 0 months 0 days), and the calculator will present you with another range of dates. Combine the LATEST date from the 2nd calculation with the EARLIEST date from the first calculation, and you have a proposed range of dates within which the subject’s birth must have occurred (assuming the accuracy of the census data and the enumeration date of course).
Given a Start Year and an Age in years, Evidentia will calculate an End date range. If the month and or day is included, the range will be more accurate.
The resulting value, appearing in the Age Calculator’s message box, can then be copied and pasted into the text of your analysis.
Likewise, with an Age and an End date, the calculator will show a range of Starting dates, and with a Start year and End year the calculator will provide a range of Ages.
When including Start Date:
Likewise when including End Date:
For Age, any reasonable combination of years, months, and days is allowed.
Best practice dictates that the results of an Age calculation should NOT be part of a claim. A claim should not include calculated values - calculated values are the purview of analysis.
When you activate FamilySearch integration (by providing a user name and password in the Settings screen, extra buttons are activated.
A Source Box button appears on the Identify a Source screen (in Detail mode), and FamilySearch Match and FamilySearch Share buttons on the subject list.
Due to licensing restrictions, FamilySearch limits the ability of third party applications to search for records on their website. However, if you have linked records to your personal source box on FamilySearch, you are allowed to pull the citations for those records into Evidentia.
If you have no citation selected, Evidentia displays the Import New Citation screen.
Evidentia will display a list of all your records in your FamilySearch source box. If an entry is for a record that you do not have in Evidentia, you can click the Create New Citation button, and Evidentia will create a record and link it to the FamilySearch entry.
If you believe a record in the source box matches an existing record in Evidentia, you can use the match screen to find the record.
If you do have a citation selected, Evidentia displays the Match Citation screen.
Evidentia displays the list of available records, and if one matches the selected citation entry, click on the Match button
When FamilySearch integration is activated, you can click the FamilySearch Match button on the Subject List Manager screen, and Evidentia will open the Subject Match dialog.
Enter your search criteria and click Search. After a few seconds Evidentia will present the potential matches identified by FamilySearch
You can indicate a Match, a Not a Match, or browse the Familysearch website with the More Detail button
Once you have activated FamilySearch integration and matched a subject, you are able to share COMPLETED proofs with FamilySearch. Simply select the FamilySearch Share button on the Subject List Manager screen.
The Export to FamilySearch tab will display a list of all the completed proofs for the selected Subject.
Review your proof and compare it against what is already on FamilySearch. Click the Changed button to view the changelog provided by Familysearch.
If you feel your conclusion is more accurate, or that it is the same but you have more corroborating records, click Replace Fact. Evidentia displays a review screen letting you know what changes will be sent to FamilySearch, and giving you a last chance to match and records Evidentia is going to send with records on FamilySearch.
You are encouraged to take your time reviewing the data and make sure you are not introducing duplication (or errors!).
The Source Box screen allows you to import FamilySearch citations from your FamilySearch source box. The Subject Sources tab allows you to do the same with sources that are already attached to your subject in FamilySearch, but may or may not be included in your source box.
The functionality is the same as that provided on the Source Box screen.
Evidentia allows you to participate in discussions for your matched subjects without leaving the program.
Evidentia allows you to view, add, and even delete notes for the matched subject from within Evidentia.
You can view the current change log for the matched subject on the last tab. This is the same tab that is displayed by clicking Changed on the Export tab.
[1] Washington, D.C.. The BCG genealogical standards manual. Millennium ed. Orem, Utah: Ancestry Pub., 2000. Print.
[2] Mills, Elizabeth S.. Evidence!: citation & analysis for the family historian. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub., 19972002. Print.
[3] Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. Revised edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2009.
[4] Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. Revised edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2009.
[a]Does reference id and reference number refer to the same thing? If so, this is repetitious.
[b]This heading and some of the following have subheads that are given the same style.
[c]Should this screenshot show a real license?
[d]Good catch - I did the same thing with the v2 Help guide originally
