Start with the source record
Record the wording, date, place, page and archive reference as they appear in the source. A transcription is evidence about a claim; it is not automatically the final truth about a person. Keeping that distinction preserves the material another researcher needs to verify your work.
Build conclusions without rewriting the evidence
A conclusion can prefer one birth date or relationship while the underlying records remain intact. Link every conclusion to the citations that support or challenge it, explain the reasoning, and identify uncertainty rather than smoothing it away.
Review conflict as useful information
Conflicting dates, names and places should enter a review workflow instead of being silently overwritten. Compare the sources, their proximity to the event and their independence, then document why one conclusion is currently preferred. Future evidence can change that conclusion without destroying the earlier research trail.