Use this procedure when the material you consulted does not already have a source in your database. If it does, add a citation under that source or reuse a saved citation; see Adding a citation.
Choose where to start
To build your source collection without attaching the reference to a person yet, open Sources in the main navigation. Choose Add > Add using SourceWizard or Add > Add new source manually.
To document a person, family, or fact immediately, open its Sources list in Edit Person. Choose Add with SourceWizard or Add new. The completed citation will be linked to the selected item. Check that selection before starting.
Both entry routes create a source and citation together. SourceWizard assists with choosing a source or template; manual entry starts with the source-type list.
Add with SourceWizard
1.Open SourceWizard using the command for your starting location.
2.Enter a description, URL, or full citation. Read the suggestions, or choose Help me choose for a guided choice of template.
3.Select a new-source suggestion that describes the material you consulted. If a suggestion finds the correct existing source, reuse it instead of creating a duplicate.
4.Enter the source information and the page or record you consulted. Check the preview, then save and name the source and citation as explained below.
See SourceWizard for examples of each input type and what to check when pasting a citation.
Add manually
1.Choose Add new source manually on the Sources page, or Add new in the Edit Person citation list.
2.In Select source type, search for the type of material and select a row to read its description. Free Form lets you write the formatted reference directly; other types provide separate boxes for the author, title, and other details.
3.Use Favorites or Recent to narrow the choices when useful. The star control marks a type as a favorite. Use Help me choose if you need assistance deciding which type fits.
4.Confirm the selected type to open the source and citation entry form.
RM12 includes 18 built-in templates based on Evidence Explained, 4th edition. A database may also contain user-defined templates and templates retained from earlier versions. Choose by the description and the material you used, rather than assuming every database has the same list.
Fill in a templated source
Under Master Source, enter information about the whole source, such as a book's author and title. Under Citation Details, enter the page or record you used. The boxes you fill in depend on the template you chose; read the prompts beside them.
For Basic Publication (Book), enter the Author/Creator, Title, Descriptor if needed, Place, Publisher, and Date. Use Specific item for the page or entry. For example, the book title belongs in Master Source; page 24 belongs in Citation Details. A later citation of page 91 can then use the same source.
If information is not supplied by the material, do not invent it to fill a box. Examine the preview to see how the template handles omitted information, and add an explanatory comment when the uncertainty matters.
Fill in a free-form source
Enter the Footnote, Short footnote, and Bibliography versions directly. The full footnote identifies the source in detail; the short version provides a recognizable abbreviated reference; the bibliography describes the source for a source list. A pasted full citation needs review in each of these roles.
Enter the page or other specific reference in the Specific item field under Citation Details when it should vary between citations. Preview the result so the specific item is neither missing nor repeated. Free Form gives you control of the wording, but it also makes you responsible for its consistency.
Add text and comments
Click the text/page button to add notes. Source text and Source comments describe the whole source. Research notes and Detail comments describe the particular page or record you cited. For example, put a word-for-word copy of one entry in Research notes. If you use that citation for several people, they will all have the same research note.
After saving, use the links section to add pictures, website links (WebTags), or the place that holds the source (a repository). See Editing a citation for where to add each one.
Review, save, and name
1.Review Footnote, Short footnote, and Bibliography. Check the title, dates, punctuation, and enough location detail to find the cited material again.
2.Click Save. RootsMagic prompts for a Source Name and Citation Name. Both are required. Templates may suggest names, which you can replace with more useful filing labels.
3.Choose a Source Name that helps you recognize the book or collection, and a Citation Name that identifies the page or entry. For example, use a short book title for the source name, and a page number and person's name for the citation name.
4.Enter optional reference numbers if you use a physical or digital filing scheme, then complete the naming prompt.
5.If you started in Edit Person, verify that the citation appears for the intended item. If you started on the Sources page, attach it when ready using Cite existing in Edit Person.
To change a filing label later, use the pencil at the upper right of the source/citation editor's header. To correct the printed reference, edit the source or citation fields. See Editing a source and Editing a citation.
