The Genealogical Proof Standard Explained

The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is the professional benchmark against which all serious genealogical research is measured. Developed by the Board for Certification of Genealogists and described in Genealogy Standards by the BCG, the GPS defines what it means to reach a reasonably exhaustive conclusion about a genealogical question.

Understanding the GPS matters not because you need to become a professional genealogist, but because it explains why certain research feels solid and certain research does not — and because it protects you from reaching false conclusions about your own family.

The five elements

The GPS requires: (1) a reasonably exhaustive search of available sources; (2) complete and accurate citations for every source consulted; (3) analysis and correlation of the collected information; (4) resolution of any conflicting evidence; and (5) a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion.

None of these elements is optional. Research that fails any one of them — that relies on a single source, that does not cite its evidence, that ignores conflicting records, or that reaches a conclusion without examining contrary evidence — does not meet the standard and should not be presented as proven.

What this means for your project

At KinshipQuest™, every research report is written to GPS standards. That means we tell you what we looked for, what we found, what we did not find, and what the evidence does and does not support. We do not claim certainty where the evidence supports only probability. And we do not present single-source conclusions as proven facts.

This approach takes longer and produces more nuanced reports than "quick searches" — but it produces research you can trust, build on, and pass down.