What this site covers
The guides on this site explain how autosomal, Y-DNA and mitochondrial tests differ, how to read a match list and shared centimorgans, why ethnicity estimates vary between companies, and which historical records (census returns, parish and civil registers, passenger lists, wills and newspapers) help confirm a genetic link. Throughout, they show how DNA and documents can be used to check each other, one generation at a time.
Who it is for
Mostly beginners: people who have taken a test, or are thinking about one, and want to understand what the results can and cannot tell them. The guides are also written for adoptees and donor-conceived people exploring their options, and for anyone who has inherited a box of old photographs and wants to know where to start.
Checked against sources
We compare each explanation with company help pages, archive research guides and community resources such as the Shared cM Project.
Reviewed and updated
Pages are revisited when testing companies change their tools, reference panels or privacy settings.
No brand preference
Testing companies and record services are named only where needed to explain how something works.
Privacy first
Each guide asks you to read a company’s privacy terms and to think about your relatives before you test.
How the guides are researched and kept current
Each guide starts from primary information: what testing companies publish about how their matching and estimates work, what national archives and record offices say about which records survive, and what experienced genealogists have documented in openly available resources. Typical shared DNA figures are given as ranges and credited to the source they come from.
Consumer DNA services change often. When a company updates its reference panel, matching tools or privacy options, the relevant pages are reviewed and the “last updated” date is changed.
Editorial independence
shopbrowselinen.com is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any DNA testing company, genealogy website or archive mentioned in its guides. Some links or buttons on this site may lead to third-party offers, and this site may receive compensation when visitors use them; this does not influence what the guides say. Details are in the Disclaimer.
Suggest a correction
Genealogy has many exceptions, and readers often know a record set or a regional detail better than a general guide can. If you spot an error, an outdated screen description or something that could be explained more clearly, please write to us through the Contact page. We check each correction and update the page once it is confirmed.