Free public domain CC0 image, courtesy RawPixel Crack the Nut, or First Things First What is your  greatest challenge when writing up your research work? For me, it was always writing citations . Key step for me to resolving this was to change my habits and make writing the citation the first thing I do, right in the planning stage. Lead with a Citation How does that make sense, when I've not even found the source I'm looking for? One of the first steps in a research project is planning; narrowing the topic (research question), gathering the context (history and locality), then ranking the possible sources of the needed information by ease of access, reliability, accessibility, cost, and chance of success in answering the question. In the planning stage, we have identified the databases or record groups we want to consult, so this is the right time to craft a citation. All the information we need, except for the specific records you will find is available, so Just Do It Now. A

Courtesy of Amethyst Studio from The Noun Project What Do You Seek? There's an old story about the cop walking his beat when he encounters an old man on his hands and knees under the street light. "What are you looking for, buddy?" The reply: "I'm looking for my car keys." Cop says, "there are no cars right close. Where did you lose them?" Reply: "I dropped them when getting out of my car, but the light is here!" Do you sometimes feel that way while you are searching for records, and finding nothing? Have you considered that Ancestry or FamilySearch might not have the records you seek?   Or that the record you wish for was never created? What's the Plan? When I began doing genealogy research, I never had a plan, didn't know one could plan research, and I'm sure I would have thought the idea of taking research time to create a plan was ridiculous!   These days, some of my research is still unplanned. After studying Research Li

publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Blacksmith-sketch/63288 The advice "strike while the iron is hot" comes from blacksmiths, who would pull a piece of red-hot iron out of the coals with tongs and begin hammering into shape the horseshoe or hook or whatever the customer had ordered. If he waited until the iron cooled, it would be nearly impossible to shape and have to be moved into the fire again.  Research Log I wrote before about my new favorite tool Airtable , and its older cousin, the spreadsheet. Now I'm using Airtable for my newest favorite, the research log . I've read about why to keep them, but have always chosen to trust my memory instead. This did not work very well! There are tools such as Goldie May which promise to automate the process, but after watching it in action, I don't think it would work for me. Begin with the GPS In the Research Like A Pro study group South King County GS is running for members, one of the necessary steps is a comprehe

There is magic in reaching out to others! Sometimes it seems like work, so let's make it easier.  First, write a good query. We wrote about how to do that previously, so check that out.  What's a Query and Why Should I Care? #ResearchOpportunity A good query: Leads with Who When Where Asks a specific question States what resources have already been consulted Once you get a query format you like, copy it! And then plug in more people of interest and their details in a place where you can easily find it. Depending on how you store your genealogy materials, you can put all these queries in one document, or separate ones for each family.  AND.... if you have a research question and the beginning of the research report /timeline for each of these people, make your query statement part of that document and be sure to note where you send or post it and a date, so you can remember to check back and see if you have some responses. Be sure to include some contact information such as an e

A research plan can help you break through brick walls and keep  you from chasing the proverbial BSO ( B right S hiny O bject) down  a rabbit hole. That is what happens when you suddenly realize it is 1:30 am and you have not found the obituary that you sat down to look for at 7:00 pm. A research plan helps you organize your research. It may show you what records are most likely to answer your research question so you can search those first. If you need to travel to a repository, you can have a list of sources to be searched and their call numbers or other identifying information. You may even be able to email the repository before your visit and have your research sources pulled and ready for you. I emailed the University of Kentucky Special Collections Library a week or so before I planned to be there and when I signed in, the items I needed were waiting for me on a cart. Additionally, I learned that I would not have been able to just walk in, an appointment was required. It wo