Creating an Effective Research Plan
Angela Packer McGhie, Certified Genealogist®
[email protected]
“There’s never enough time to check all of the sources that might contribute to our family
history, so the only solution is to check them out in some sort of logical order that uses our
time most effectively. In other words, follow a plan.”
Donn Devine
Creating a Research Plan
1. Develop a focused research question
 Clearly state your research question or goal. The goal may be to
identify a relationship or specific information about an individual.
 Effective research questions are specific and pertain to a clearly
defined individual.
 Include the individual’s name and other identifying information
to make the question as specific as possible.
Example:
Who were the parents of Jonathan Taylor Packer who married Christine
Sundby in Hiram, Ohio in 1843?
2. Develop a profile of the research subject
 Create a profile of the individual to help guide your research. Include known facts such as
name, birth date and place, marriage date and place, death date and place, spouse’s name,
parents’ names, occupation, religion, and residences.
 With each fact include the source(s) of the information.
 List separately any undocumented information that you have on the individual, and work
to verify it in your research plan.
 You may have very little information as you begin, but you can fill in details as you go.
 Also include a list of name and spelling variants that should be considered.
3. Analyze starting point information
 Review the information and documents you have for the individual and search for clues that
may help answer your research question.
 Focus on details you may have missed when you originally obtained the documents.
 Create a timeline to summarize chronologically the facts you can document, and note the
clues you have found in records, but still need to find records to verify the information.
 Look for gaps in your timeline and determine which records may fill in missing information.
 Be sure you are working with a documented ancestor before proceeding back in time, as
you want to have a solid foundation to build upon. On occasion you will need to back up and
conduct more research on a previous generation before proceeding forward.
© 2017, Angela Packer McGhie, CG
“Creating an Effective Research Plan”
Page 1
4. Identify resources available for the time and place you are researching
 Use research guides to find out what sources exist for the location you are researching, and
learn specific research strategies that may be applicable to your project. This is especially
important for areas you have not researched in before, or for foreign countries where the
records, customs and laws may be different than here in the United States.
Examples:

NGS Research in the States series – Available for 19 states
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/research_in_the_states
FamilySearch Wiki – articles for each county, state and country
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page
Redbook: American State, County, and Town Sources by Alice Eichholz
Also available online in the Ancestry.com Wiki at
http://www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
Consult library and archive catalogs at the national, state and local level for records and
publications of interest. Narrow your search to the country, state, county and /or city where
your subject lived. Begin with these major catalogs:
o
o
o
FamilySearch catalog
Worldcat.org
DAR Library catalog
https://familysearch.org/catalog-search
http://www.worldcat.org/
http://www.dar.org/library/search-library-catalog
5. Select Sources to Search
There are a multitude of genealogical sources available. Some records are more likely to
provide the information you need. Identify the types of records that may answer your
questions, such as:
Birth
Military
Newspaper
Burial
Marriage
Land
Cemetery
Directories
Death
Probate
Court
Histories
Census
Church
Immigration
Manuscripts
Tax
Naturalization
State / Federal
Family papers
Consult the FamilySearch “Original Records Table” (reference #3) to see which records are
most likely to contain the type of information you are looking for. If you are trying to be
thorough, you may want to search for all these types of records, as any one of them could
contain the information you are searching for. The exact records you consult will also depend
on the time period and location you are researching. It may be necessary to learn about new
sources that you have not used before in order to solve your research problem. Consult books
such as Redbook (reference #8) or The Source (reference #10) to learn about different types of
records that you may not have experience with.
6. Create a written research plan
 Select sources that are most likely to provide answers to your research question.
 Organize your plan by priority, record type, website or repository.
 The objective is to research as efficiently as possible.
© 2017, Angela Packer McGhie, CG
“Creating an Effective Research Plan”
Page 2



Create a comprehensive plan to guide your
“Plan refers to the process of thinking
research as you strive to locate all potentially
through our purposes and procedures
relevant sources.
before research begins.”
Remain flexible as information found in the
records you search may lead you in another
Helen F. M. Leary
direction.
Include records of family members and associates that may offer evidence relative to your
research question. Example: Your ancestor’s death records may not name his parents, but
the death certificate of his brother might.
7. Access the records and conduct the research
 Follow the research plan step-by-step, avoiding distractions. If you meander away from
your objective by following links or leads, be sure to return and finish your research plan.
 Focus your research in original records containing primary information. Use derivative
records only when originals are not available.
 Remember that some records may lead you to other records you had not thought to use.
 Continue your research beyond records that are online and easy to access. Many records
containing valuable information are harder to find, but may be exactly what you need.
 Broaden your search if necessary. Expand into additional records, locations, family or
associates.
 Make a record of every place you search, including databases, books, indexes, and records.
This can be a research log, or detailed research notes.
 Record the citation on each record found and include it in your notes, database or report.
8. Evaluate your research findings
 Determine if your research question was answered. If not, search for additional records or
expand your search to include additional family members and associates.
 If your research objective was met, then select a new objective and repeat the process.
Preparing for onsite research





Prepare ahead by checking an online catalog for records, call numbers, and descriptions.
Include call numbers, dates included, and other details on your research plan.
Visit all facilities in the area: courthouse, library, historical society, cemetery, etc.
Prioritize your research plan in case you run short on time.
Remain flexible – you never know what else you may find.
Research Plan Template
The research plan template used in the presentation case study is available at:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aggcuw6z77gd7et/Research%20Plan%20Template.docx?dl=0
© 2017, Angela Packer McGhie, CG
“Creating an Effective Research Plan”
Page 3
References for Further Study
Research Planning
1. Devine, Donn. “Research Cornerstones: Plan the Attack.” Ancestry.com
(http://ancestrylibrary.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4681/~/researchcornerstones%3A-plan-your-attack ). Previously published, Ancestry Magazine, January 2006.
2. Devine, Donn. “Use a Research Plan.” Ancestry Magazine, May 1996.
3. FamilySearch Original Records Table, “Use the Internet for Family History Research,”
(https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Use_the_internet_for_family_history_research :
9 November 2016). Scroll to bottom to find the table in Appendix B.
4. Jones, Thomas W. "Focused Versus Diffuse Research," OnBoard 17 (September 2011):17-18.
Available online at http://www.bcgcertification.org/skillbuilders/skbld911.html
5. Jones, Thomas W. “GPS Element 1: Thorough Research.” Mastering Genealogical Proof.
Arlington, Virginia: The National Genealogical Society, 2013.
6. Leary, Helen F.M. “Problem Analysis and Research Plans.” Professional Genealogy: A Manual for
Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers and Librarians. Elizabeth Shown Mills, editor. Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Company, 2001.
7. Rising, Marsha Hoffman. “The First Step: Analyzing the Problem and Planning a Strategy for
Success.” The Family Tree Problem Solver. Cincinnati, Ohio: Family Tree Books, 2005.
General Reference
8. Eichholz, Alice, editor. Redbook: American State, County, and Town Sources. Third edition. Provo,
Utah: Ancestry, 2004.
9. Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. Third edition. Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000.
10. Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Lueking, Sandra Hargreaves, editors. The Source: A Guidebook to
American Genealogy. Third edition. Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2006.
11. Board for Certification of Genealogists. Genealogy Standards. 50th Anniversary Edition.
Nashville, Tennessee: Ancestry, 2014.
© 2017, Angela Packer McGhie, CG
“Creating an Effective Research Plan”
Page 4