{"id":2632,"date":"2018-06-25T02:34:20","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T02:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefhguide.com\/blog\/?p=2632"},"modified":"2019-01-16T20:21:33","modified_gmt":"2019-01-16T20:21:33","slug":"inside-the-guide-research-logs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefhguide.com\/blog\/inside-the-guide-research-logs\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Guide: Research Logs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research logs are very important tools for successful family history research. However, they are certainly \"\"not every family historian\u2019s favorite thing. I know that when I’m in the zone of doing family history and finding all sorts of interesting things, it can sometimes be a hassle to take a step back and enter my searches and findings into a research log. However, doing that is definitely essential to family history; you should not carry on research without using some sort of research log.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research logs can help you avoid repeating searches that you have already performed. They can also help you keep track of what research still needs to be conducted for a particular individual. Basically, research logs take a little time and effort in the present to save you a lot more time and effort in the future. <\/span><\/p>\n

When creating a research log, sometimes it can be hard to know where to begin and what to include. There are several websites with templates for research logs that you can easily fill out. The Family History Guide has several resources and ideas of how to format your research log. (The link can be found at the end of the article.) You can also create your own research log using a spreadsheet. No matter how you decide to format your log, there are criteria that every research log should follow. Here are some important things you need to include when creating your research log:<\/span><\/p>\n