I’ve been writing about research logs quite a bit these days, particularly about my intention in 2017 to ingrain a habit of logging my research every time I do research. I created the Facebook group Genealogy Research Loggers (feel free to join us) and I really have been trying to be good about using a research log.
Recently, I received a comment on a blog post I wrote about genealogy research logs way back in 2012. Commenter Morag apparently stumbled on that post earlier this month and left this comment:
I don’t understand the value of a research log. Do you have any good posts about that, by you or someone else?
I don’t think I’ve ever written any great posts on the why of a research log. To me the value of keeping track of your research is intuitive and it’s always gone without saying. But then I realized it was a question worth addressing. So I told Morag I’d write about my reasons and then ask the smart readers of this blog to comment with their own perspectives.
For me, I think it’s valuable to write down what I’ve researched at the end of each session for the following reasons:
- It allows me to take stock of what I’ve done
- It prompts me to write down next steps (which helps eliminate the paralyzing question of what to work on)
- It helps me avoid repeating searches I’ve already done
- It keeps track of things I would otherwise inevitably forget
This thought process begs the question of what a research log actually is. I’m gathering that the term means different things to different people. For me, a research log has always been simply a record of the research I’ve done, coupled with notes about potential future exploration. I don’t store my genealogy data or source citations in a research log. Those I keep in my family-tree software, Reunion. I keep my research log in Evernote, using a very simple template I created or sometimes just a free-form note. It’s informal and not shared with anyone. I have also been experimenting with using the Log feature in Reunion for a particular research problem, but I think I’ll go back to Evernote for everything.
I’ve learned through the Genealogy Research Loggers Facebook group that different people are comfortable with different formats, and I think that’s great. I think the best research log format is one that is simple enough that you’ll actually use it and complex enough to provide you with the information you need.
But getting back to the original question, why do you think it’s important to keep a research log? Please share!
For me it’s all about avoiding wasting effort by duplicating research I’ve already done but forgotten I had done. When I first started out on my tree, I was so enthusiastic as I found new information that I never thought to record the path I had followed. Eventually I found I was retracing steps unnecessarily.
This is exactly what I had done and it us so annoying when you reslise the time you have wasted
Very good point! Thank you!
Janine as a strategic guy i like to start with a defined goal and then logging journey to the goal becomes more natural. You can set new coals as secondary trips along the way and using strategic goal also can become name of log.
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“–so long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”
(Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)
Jerry, I like the idea of keeping a log for each research goal. I hadn’t really thought of it that way. Thank you! And thanks for illustrating it with a literary reference!
Oddly, one of my reasons for keeping a log is so I DO go back to a source I’ve already read because new information about a family often pops up. If it’s a common surname and more than one unrelated family with the name is living somewhere, I wouldn’t abstract all the info because most of it might not pertain to my research. However, if a new clue about an unknown family member appears elsewhere, the research log sometimes brings me back to view an old source with new eyes.
That’s another great point, Linda. Thank you!
I think a research log helps you know how you got the answer to your question. So many times I don’t remember what got me to the answer. But I’m not always good about recording in a log.
Thanks for commenting, Lisa. To me right now becoming good at recording it in a log is the hardest part!
I’ve been playing around with a variety of ways to log and track my research and am frustrated by the limitations of the tools. ResearchTies is brilliant but requires Internet-web access at all times, something harder to do than one would think, and no mobile access. Evidentia is software but not mobile friendly. Same applies for RootsMagic and other software. So I alternate between paper and Google Drive/docs and sometimes Scrivener, each with their own issues.
Is there a tool you or others recommend to make this easier? I want the power of ResearchTies with mobile and offline access.
Lorelle, it does seem like the Holy Grail, doesn’t it? I think everyone’s needs are different so there’s no perfect solution. I’m not very familiar with Research Ties, though it looks quite robust. I haven’t heard of any other program/platform with all its features. I’m sorry! If you haven’t already, I suggest you reach out to the Research Ties developers and tell them about this need you see. Perhaps they’ll fill it!
Thanks for writing this Janine. Could you add an actual log entry to the post as an illustration. I’m going to keep watching the comments to see if anything clicks. At the moment I don’t know what I would write in my log that wouldn’t already be in my tree other than *when* I added something to my tree.
Morag, I think I’ll do a separate post with a sample of my genealogy log, since there have been a couple of requests. I only hesitate because my way works for me but it might not work for others! I encourage you to join our Facebook group Genealogy Research Loggers, if you haven’t already. (There’s a link to it in the first paragraph of this post.) You’ll find some examples there.
To address your last point: My tree only contains verified facts (i.e. facts with sources attached). My log contains clues to pursue as well as searches that didn’t pan out. Hope that’s helpful.
Keep an eye out for another post with a sample!
My tree only contains verified facts too. Perhaps it’s because I’m doing a one-place study, I can’t find a document that doesn’t apply to my tree because it’s from the correct location, I just have to find the correct person. I look forward to your posts, on this, and other topics.
How interesting, Morag! I can imagine that doing a one-place study would make your research slightly different. Do you ever wish you knew how you found a fact? That would be one reason for a log. Do you ever look for something specific and not find it? That would be something else to put it in a log. But I would say that you if none of this resonates that perhaps for your research, perhaps a log isn’t necessary!
Once I get finished with all the obvious records (BMD, OPRs, Census) it may become more necessary to record where I find things, but my research at the moment is just going through the obvious records page by page, so I know how I found a fact because I have the source where I found it and the “way” I found it was to turn the page! Like this tragic story (https://unstmorag.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/heartbreaking/)
I do write noteworthy finds as blog posts, so to some extent perhaps it is my research log, but it certainly doesn’t contain a regular log of the boring next page, next page type of processing.
The next stage will be searching for people who moved away from my area of study and that may be more like traditional family history research, i.e. looking for a specific person, so maybe then all this will resonate more. I have a way to go till then though.
One major benefit of a log: it helps you keep track of where you’ve already searched and found _nothing_ as opposed to where you’ve searched and found something. (Which isn’t to say double-checking is a bad thing, but it’s always good to know what you’ve already looked for and where, regardless of whether anything turned up or not at the time.)
I have duplicated the same failed research over and over on several occasions. I am tired of doing this and that’s why I’m here. I need the easiest way possible to stop doing this. YES, keeping track of failed searches is what’s driving me to the subject.
It’s so frustrating to duplicate effort! I find, though, that sometimes the same (failed) search can yield different results because genealogy databases change. But a research log is always helpful!
I too am trying to be more methodical about this. A log can help me remember I already did a certain search when I come back to something weeks or months later.
One question though: would you mind sharing a template of the log you use? I’ve yet to find a format I like.
Vince, as I just mentioned to Morag in my reply to her comment, I’ll do a separate post with an example. But I encourage you to join our Facebook group Genealogy Research Loggers, if you haven’t already. (There’s a link to it in the first paragraph of this post.) You’ll find some examples there.
Thanks for commenting!
If you’re researching online, one trick is to copy your browser history (for the last hour or for however long you’ve been researching) into a spreadsheet. Imperfect, for sure, but better than nothing!
Wow! I had never thought of that. What an interesting idea…I’m going to give that a try, as an adjunct to what I’m doing. Thanks for commenting, Margaret!
My pleasure. It’s ugly and imperfect and I wouldn’t recommend it as a standalone, but we all find ourselves in spirals at times–information feeding frenzies during which we maaaaybe don’t keep track of ourselves as much as we ideally should. It’s a good stopgap in those situations. I’ve had times when the process of cleaning up/organizing/notating a browser history dumped-into-a-spreadsheet after the fact helped inspire next steps!
This is brilliant. Thank you!
Thank you so much!