Describe the Records on a Research Log

Principles of Family History Research Step 3. Select Records to Search  Describe the Records on a Research Log

Write a description of the records you selected on the research log. Write enough information so someone could readily locate the source and verify the information at a later time. See the example at Prepare a Research Log.

Decide which records you want to search first. Some records are easier to search while others may be more difficult to use because of the format, handwriting, language, lack of indexes or other reasons. Some records may be more immediately available than others. You may eventually want to search all the records you selected, but usually you should search the ones most likely to meet your objective first, even if they may be more difficult to search.