• Traditional:  This type of genealogical research generally focuses on the "paper trail" -- census records, birth records, death records, marriage records, wills, land titles, court papers, city directories, church records, family bibles, and more.  Genealogists in the last 30 years have been blessed with a wealth of these types of records available online.  But as many as there are, they are only a fraction of the documents out there available to the public to view.  So genealogists often need to leave their computers and venture out to government agencies, archival libraries, family history libraries, and other repositories to find the information they need -- sometimes venturing out-of-state or even out of the country. 
  

• Genetic:  This type of genealogical research is a fairly recent innovation, involving the use of DNA test results to assist in:
  • checking the accuracy of any ancestral paths constructed (are you on the right path?),
  • discovering the migration path your ancient ancestors took out of Africa (haplogroups), and where they settled geographically (your ethnicity),
    
  • discovering previously unknown cousins who may shed light on previously unknown common ancestors.

Another classification of genealogical research that depends heavily on genetic genealogical research paired with traditional genealogical methods is called Forensic Genealogy, and it can include, but is not limited to:

• finding the biological parents of an adoptee (or vice-versa),
• searching for the identity of a missing assailant whose DNA was found at a crime scene,
• identifying an unknown decedent,
• finding missing heirs,
• identifying the remains of military personnel who died in war.

Proof Standards

Finding all of the pertinent documents necessary to definitively answer a research question posed by a client is critical to professional genealogists in order to meet the proof requirements demanded by the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS), as outlined in the book, Genealogy Standards, published by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG).   It's not enough to pull a couple of documents from the web and be done. We as professional genealogists must meet the GPS standards of accuracy and thoroughness.  So we will review any information the client has previously gathered to ensure its accuracy, and will continue to meet the standards laid out by the GPS throughout the course of the project. 

Although "proof" standards specific to the field of genetic genealogy have been published by a prestigious ad hoc committee made up of highly respected genealogists in the field, they continue to evolve. The original five GPS standards, as well as the 90 genealogical standards published by the BCG still apply to both types of genealogical research.   NOTE: Research derived from genetic genealogical methods alone is not considered "proof" for a genealogical research question. It must be backed up by traditional documentation.