Introduction

Step 1
What You Know

Step 2
Interview and Gather

Step 3
Examine Documents

Step 4
Create an Organizational Plan

Step 5
Arm Yourself

Step 6
Ready to Reach Out

Step 7
The Journey Begins

Step 8
Genealogy Sources

Step 10
Your Ancestors Await You

Step 6 - Ready to Reach Out

You will want to take the time to learn and practice good notetaking skills. Good notes are a genealogist's lifeblood. You will spend many hours reading books and looking at documents that might not be readily available again, so the quality of your notes is crucial.

Before venturing out to various repositories in search of your family, print out the Research Tips.

Methods of Notetaking

There are two methods of notetaking. Each has its application depending upon the type, content, and condition of the source document.

Abstracting: By abstracting, you are summarizing the source. You are putting into your own words the information contained in the source document. Be very careful. You want to be accurate and thorough. You might want to outline the important points of a document, then fill in details that are pertinent to your research goal.

Transcribing: It is often not practical or possible to make a photocopy of a document that you wish to keep. Perhaps every word in the document is important toward your research goal. In this case, you will want to transcribe the entire document. You will write down everything exactly as you see it, including misspellings.

Research Log

The research calendar is a necessary form in a genealogist's supply cabinet. A research calendar is not a calendar at all, but a form on which the genealogist tracks research steps completed. Often referred to as a Research Log, the form keeps track of all research whether successful or not. On your Research Log, you will want to track the name of the person you are researching, where you looked, what you found, and any other pertinent information to help you or another researcher find it again.

Why do genealogists use Research Logs? The log helps a researcher know what sources have been checked and whether they provided helpful information. Research logs help the genealogist eliminate duplication of effort by tracking all sources checked. It is important to include a source on a log whether that source had useful information or not. Sometimes the lack of information is a clue in itself and you will want to include that fact as you complete the Research Log.

How many Research Logs do you need? If you are just beginning your genealogical journey, one research log for all your ancestors might work well. But think into the future as you add more children to families, more ancestors, and more geographic locations. One simple way to create manageable, useful Research Logs is to create one for each surname, or even one for each family unit.

Download a copy of the Research Log now.

Continue with Step 7 - The Journey Begins