It can be tempting to take the easy way, or the path of least resistance, in your genealogy research. However, this can lead to mistakes and bad habits that will end up costing you time and effort in the long run.

The Family History Guide helps you get off to a good start with research, in Goal 2 of Project 4: Discover. It also helps you avoid bad habits and mistakes in genealogy, in Goal 7. Here is a brief summary of the important resources you’ll find there:

• Examples of common mistakes, such as collecting ancestors, without verification or sources; incorrectly identifying ancestors; trying to connect with a person in the past by going forward in time; not recording what you find; not looking for siblings of ancestors; and skipping generations, or including a generation that is too short.
• Don’t Make These 8 Mistakes in Your Genealogy Research by Ancestral Findings
• Overcoming Bad Research Habits by Family Locket
• 10 Tips to Be a Smart Genealogist by Aimee Cross.
• Perilous Assumptions: Revisiting Those First Finds
• Mistaken Identity by Genealogy.com

We wish you success in your family history research efforts!