When you are first beginning to do your research it is important to consider the type of records that you are using. For example if you are going off of someone’s memory, you should be prepared to broaden your search if you do not immediately find the names and dates listed.
Similarly if you are using a family bible or a handwritten account of your ancestors, you may find that the dates are different from those listed on a census report. The important thing is to match the vital information of parents and location. The dates may be off a year or two in one record or the other. If everything but the dates match and the difference is not too large in the dates you may have found the correct person.
Government records, such as census records are considered reliable, as are the parish records you may find in other countries. Family records may be slightly off, however. If you have found research that someone else in your family has completed, it should not take very long to verify the information as being correct. In fact it is much easier to do that then to complete the research from scratch.
When you run into someone else research on the Internet, you should always proceed with caution before simply adding it to your records. The research may not have been completed or the information may be wrong. It is important to double-check the information that you find, before you confirm it as accurate. Again with the current online resources this should not take as long as doing the research yourself.
As with any type of research you should look for the source. If you find information on a website you should check and see where the information is coming from. Most genealogy sites work with databases that are reliable, but if you stumble across a family run site, the information that you find may not be accurate. Be careful as you do your research and share your information with others.