Talk:Research Logs

Question for this page about what to fill in after search. Under results of search it says "Use the same event symbols as you would for the Purpose column."

I don't see any discussion of event symbols and the research log example at the top of the page does not have a purpose column. This research log is one that has been customized or at least is different from the one that is used as an example research log at the top of the page.

As a beginner, trying to devise and use a research log, I'm curious about the event symbols. Is this something that is standard in family history and I'm just not in the know, or is this a personal practice of the author?

Some commonly used, but not universal symbols are:

* = birth,  ∞ = marriage   † = death

The more experienced the genealogist, the more likely he or she is to use some form of a research log. But even among the most experienced, only about 83% regularly use research logs. I can think of few things that are really "standard" in family history. I would suggest research logs are in the "best practices" category; symbols are optional. Diltsgd 19:11, 23 April 2009 (UTC)