I understand the need for a research plan. My question is how do you keep track of the research questions that come up while you are working through your plan. For example you are looking for your grandmother's parents and while looking in the 1900 census you find her, but her older brother is listed as adopted and she has a younger sister. Now you have a 2 new questions 1) why or when was her brother adopted and 2) when was her sister born. How do you keep track of those questions without traveling down the rabbit hole while looking for more information on grandmother's parents?
That happens to me frequently! I keep either a pad of paper or a digital notes app open and ready. When I come across information like this I make a note of it and write down any sourcing information ( so I can return to it later). At a later date, it will become its own research plan if still needed. This allows you to stay focused on your current research, but have the needed info to return to the other "rabbit trail" questions at a later date.
I have listened to you before and you have helped me in my quest. Your tips always help me to find items and sort out the over whelming amount of information that you may look at in a given day or time doing research. Love your plan example and I will be structuring my own. Keep it up Lisa, you have been such a great help. Debbi
I go down rabbit holes when I ask, "What can I find on John White in 1820 in NC?" Can I find anything at all? And I just start looking everywhere at any available records. I know I need to be more specific. But it's frustrating because I usually can't find anything other than a census record on Ancestry and then the same census on FamilySearch and it's an hour later and I feel exhausted for the day. I use FamilySearch's wiki to focus on my work in Kentucky and Virginia because KY was carved out of VA. So I think today I realized that's what my stumbling block is. I need to pause for a minute and plan out where I am going to look - first - before jumping to the sources. What am I looking for? For someone born around 1790 the records may be in multiple places. So if I'm looking for his father, my major goal, then I should probably look at probate, land records, guardianship bonds in counties near where he lived. The spreadsheet you showed really helps! Thanks for your videos!
I have never used a research plan, but you may have persuaded me. When you show your computer screen, could you please zoom in considerably more? Maybe show an overview, and then zoom in on different sections? I generally watch TH-cam on my cell phone, and it's too tiny to read anything on the screen.
I understand the need for a research plan. My question is how do you keep track of the research questions that come up while you are working through your plan. For example you are looking for your grandmother's parents and while looking in the 1900 census you find her, but her older brother is listed as adopted and she has a younger sister. Now you have a 2 new questions 1) why or when was her brother adopted and 2) when was her sister born. How do you keep track of those questions without traveling down the rabbit hole while looking for more information on grandmother's parents?
That happens to me frequently! I keep either a pad of paper or a digital notes app open and ready. When I come across information like this I make a note of it and write down any sourcing information ( so I can return to it later). At a later date, it will become its own research plan if still needed. This allows you to stay focused on your current research, but have the needed info to return to the other "rabbit trail" questions at a later date.
Thanks this is so helpful!!!
I have listened to you before and you have helped me in my quest. Your tips always help me to find items and sort out the over whelming amount of information that you may look at in a given day or time doing research. Love your plan example and I will be structuring my own. Keep it up Lisa, you have been such a great help. Debbi
Thank you so much for the kind words, Debbi! You made my day!
I go down rabbit holes when I ask, "What can I find on John White in 1820 in NC?" Can I find anything at all? And I just start looking everywhere at any available records. I know I need to be more specific. But it's frustrating because I usually can't find anything other than a census record on Ancestry and then the same census on FamilySearch and it's an hour later and I feel exhausted for the day.
I use FamilySearch's wiki to focus on my work in Kentucky and Virginia because KY was carved out of VA. So I think today I realized that's what my stumbling block is. I need to pause for a minute and plan out where I am going to look - first - before jumping to the sources. What am I looking for? For someone born around 1790 the records may be in multiple places. So if I'm looking for his father, my major goal, then I should probably look at probate, land records, guardianship bonds in counties near where he lived.
The spreadsheet you showed really helps! Thanks for your videos!
Yes, to the plan!!!
Great video Lisa! Research plans are so important and this was a great explanation!
Glad it was helpful!
I have never used a research plan, but you may have persuaded me.
When you show your computer screen, could you please zoom in considerably more? Maybe show an overview, and then zoom in on different sections? I generally watch TH-cam on my cell phone, and it's too tiny to read anything on the screen.
I can do that!
I'm puzzled by the expression 'rabbit trail'.I didn't know they made those. Not 'rabbit hole'? Thanks for the research tips.
I think rabbit trail is more just an expression. :) Whether rabbit trail or rabbit hole, both are detrimental to my research.
I have never used a research plan. This will change today.