A to-do list<\/strong> is just that\u2026 a simple list of things you need to do. It might be writing a letter, making a phone call, looking up a date, or any number of other things.<\/p>\n A research log<\/strong> on the other hand is a list of all the sources you have looked at towards a single research goal. Your research log lets you easily trace back through the documents you have looked at, and if done properly, your research log can even lay out your research plan for that goal.<\/p>\n The first step in creating a research log is to define your research goal. That research goal might be very general, like \u201cAll sources I have looked at regarding James Brown.\u201d But it might also be quite specific, like \u201cAll sources I have looked at to try and determine where James Brown was born.\u201d Research logs are particularly useful for trying to knock down those brick walls, so be as specific about the particular problem as you can.<\/p>\n Once you have a goal defined, you simply keep track of every source you look at towards that goal. Every time you do a search, record the following information:<\/p>\n When should you record a search in your log? Here are 3 situations:<\/p>\n When recording a search in your log, try to be as specific as possible about what you are looking for, where you looked, and what you found. It\u2019s easy to get lazy and just put something like:<\/p>\n Searching for information about James Brown in the 1880 census and didn\u2019t find anything.<\/em><\/p>\n You will find that as your genealogical skills improve (from taking classes, attending conferences, and just plain old practice), you will discover that there is usually more than one way to analyze a particular record. If your research logs are too general, you may not remember what specific information you looked for, which particular form you viewed, or even what it was that you didn’t find \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n If you are looking for a birth date, say that you were looking for a birth date. \u00a0If you are later looking for christening information you will be able to see that you weren’t specifically looking for that at the time, so you may want to check the source again. \u00a0Of course if you recorded that you didn’t find that birth date but did find a christening date, you won’t have to go back and recheck it later.<\/p>\n If you are looking in the 1880 US Census Population Schedule for Podunk, NY, make sure to record that specifically. \u00a0If you happen to find it online, also record the link to the original. \u00a0One note though… do not<\/strong> skip recording the information just because you have the link… links can disappear<\/em>!<\/p>\n RootsMagic 5 added a full feature Research Manager which lets you create unlimited research logs using the techniques I’ve described above. \u00a0You can create research logs for people, families, events, places, or just plain old general research logs. \u00a0To see RootsMagic’s research logs in action, visit:<\/p>\nCreating a Research Log<\/h2>\n
Set a Goal<\/h4>\n
Log Your Research<\/h4>\n
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\nThis is what most people think of when you mention a research log\u2026 a list of all the sources you looked at and found useful information in.<\/li>\n
\nWhy bother keeping track of sources that didn\u2019t have what you were looking for? How about to remind you that you don\u2019t need to keep checking that same document every year when it hasn\u2019t changed for the last hundred years?<\/li>\n
\nBy adding sources that you want to look at to your research log, you are creating a plan of attack for your goal (also known as a research plan). Write down what you want to find and where you plan to look. When you finally get the chance to view that document you can add the search date and the results of your search.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nBe Specific<\/h4>\n
Using RootsMagic 5’s New Research Logs<\/h2>\n