Research Compass Description: Difference between revisions

Family history research does not need to be an uncertain trek through forests of library shelves. Guidance is available, and that guidance can be prioritized and digitally available right on your own computer. Imagine a “research consultant” right at your elbow, coaching you to take the next step, and then the next. How much easier that would be! Basically, this would be a research "compass" directing you to the ''records of highest priority'', and then making it possible to ''log your findings ''at the same time. This is called a “[[Strategic research logs--england|Strategic Research Log]],” which is discussed in a companion article.  But a compass is not sufficient if it only gets you to the destination—it must also get you back home, and then guide you on several return trips.  That is where '''computerized linking '''is essential.  [[Hyperlinks_to_Source_Documents|Hyperlinks]] that provide quick links to digitized source documents can help with accuracy as we compare documents and analyze them. 

The steps mentioned in this article are not hard.  Do not be discouraged if they seem complex or if you are not used to computers.  Actually, once you understand the system it is simple and saves a lot of time.  Let's begin!  

Automating family history processes can improve effectiveness. Choosing first to create all of your research materials in digital format,&nbsp;you would&nbsp;next want to decide to organize them in a simple structure, perhaps like the points of a compass, as shown on the preceding illustration. (You could modify this to meet your own needs.)&nbsp; The four cardinal points of this sample research compass include:<br>

<br>First in importance in family history research is coming to an understanding of the sequence of tasks involved. As we get the training we need in a specific area of research, for example U.S. southern states, the lesson manuals, handouts, copies of Internet sites, and other things can be saved digitally in an organized manner. Observe the structure used&nbsp;for studying research pertaining to England.&nbsp; This menu was created in Microsoft Word using simple [[Hyperlinks to Source Documents|hyperlinks]].&nbsp; (See companion article on that subject.)  

<br>Clicking on the links takes&nbsp;us to other documents, such as the files of class notes, a list of forms, or copies from Internet sites. On a separate menu called&nbsp; Research Strategy &amp; Sources you would find&nbsp;templates of documents that can be used in specific family research projects. The first of these is the [[Strategic research logs--england|Strategic Research Log]]. <!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors -->

<br>We can easily forget other things, such as searching in certain types of sources. The sample Strategic Research Log shown below, created in Microsoft word using tables,&nbsp;was adapted from a typical research log. It contains a prioritized list of sources in expandable mini-tables (the only one shown here being Birth Certificate) that we do not want to forget for the particular period shown England―1837 to Present). It is sorted in priority order based on the birth column. Note that the marriage column and the death column also have priority numbers. In other words, certain sources are important for birth data but may be of lesser importance for getting marriage or death data, and vice versa. The full log contains, in sequence after Birth Certificate, other mini-tables reminding us to search marriage certificates, death certificates, census records, church records, family histories, military records, on through a total of twenty-two prioritized sources.&nbsp; The three logs pertaining to England's three major time periods are downloadable from the [[Strategic research logs--england|Strategic Research Logs]]&nbsp;page.  

<br>The next logical step after gathering all and sundry data available is to analyze it. Careful analysis is necessary to avoid making mistakes in conclusions. In order to transfer data as simply as possible, without errors,&nbsp;you can&nbsp;copy it from the Strategic Research Log to a form that is similar in design, but simpler because it is condensed to the conclusion stage—the Research Analysis Table. Here is an example of how&nbsp;to use this form, having copied the data from the Strategic Research Log.&nbsp; Again, this was created in Microsoft Word and is downloadable at the [[Research Analysis Table|Research Analysis Table]] page.  

<br>Anyone interested in developing a menu system such as&nbsp;this is&nbsp;for England research, with prioritized search strategies, could do it for another country or an area of the United States.&nbsp; The&nbsp;prioritized lists of sources for other countries are&nbsp;available at FamilySearch.org under "Research Guidance."&nbsp;&nbsp;Hopefully this will stimulate interest in digital linking and organization, for it has been very beneficial to&nbsp;those who have&nbsp;used it&nbsp;in their&nbsp;research.<br><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors --><!-- Tidy found serious XHTML errors -->