Source Selection, Analysis, and Citation
Classify the source, then the information
Source selection starts with fitness for the question: does the record cover the right place, time, person, and event? Distinguish original records (first recording) from derivative works (transcripts, abstracts, indexes, compiled genealogies). Then judge the information each source supplies: primary information was recorded by someone with firsthand knowledge near the event; secondary information is hearsay or later recollection. Evidence is direct when it states the answer, indirect when it requires inference, and negative when absence in an exhaustive search supports a conclusion. Do not confuse these categories: an original record can contain secondary information.
Citation
A citation should identify the source, the specific item, and the repository or publication, with enough detail for another researcher to find it. For archival records, include series, volume, page or entry, and repository; for online images, include the website, collection, image or page, and access date if required. Cite what you actually used, not a better-looking source you did not see.
Traps and example
Questions often present an index as if it were the original, or a typed transcription as if it were primary information. Another trap is citing only county courthouse without volume and page. Example: a marriage return in a county register is an original record; the clerk's later typed index is derivative. The return's date and names are primary if the clerk witnessed or recorded them at the time. Rule of thumb: cite the path from the question to the exact item.