Remembering always that they are engaged in a quest for truth, family history researchers consistently
record the source for each item of information they collect;
test every hypothesis or theory against credible evidence, and reject those that are not supported by the evidence;
seek original records, or reproduced images of them when there is reasonable assurance they have not been altered, as the basis for their research conclusions;
use compilations, communications, and published works, whether paper or electronic, primarily for their value as guides to locating the original records, or as contributions to the critical analysis of the evidence discussed in them;
state something as a fact only when it is supported by convincing evidence, and identify the evidence when communicating the fact to others;
limit with words like "probable" or "possible" any statement that is based on less than convincing evidence, and state the reasons for concluding that it is probable or possible;
avoid misleading other researchers by either intentionally or carelessly distributing or publishing inaccurate information;
state carefully and honestly the results of their own research, and acknowledge all use of other researchers' work;
recognize the collegial nature of genealogical research by making their work available to others through publication, or by placing copies in appropriate libraries or repositories, and by welcoming critical comment;
consider with open minds new evidence or the comments of others on their work and the conclusions they have reached.
Genealogical publications are copyright protected. Although data is often retrieved from public archives, the searching, interpreting, collecting, selecting and sorting of the data results in a unique product. Copyright protected work may not simply be copied or republished.
Please stick to the following rules
Request permission to copy data or at least inform the author, chances are that the author gives permission, often the contact also leads to more exchange of data.
Do not use this data until you have checked it, preferably at the source (the archives).
State from whom you have copied the data and ideally also his/her original source.