Learning Center
Documenting Research Results
One of the most important (and often poorly done or altogether forgotten) aspects of genealogy research is good documentation. Here are some examples of various types of reports you might use as you explore your family history.
Research Report
Typically documents your research for a finite, specific block of research. Don’t use this format to document everything you discover in the course of all your research about a specific individual. For example, you could create a research report covering research done within a specific county or repository. Each ancestor will usually have multiple research reports created throughout your effort to do reasonable exhaustive research about that individual.
Research reports typically include the following sections:
- Background information about the individual and the research problem (with citations)
- Your specific goal for this block of research
- A research plan which can be modified as you progress through the plan
- Research findings including detailed source information and analysis of the source content
- A brief summary of your findings from this block of research
- Suggestions for future research (if the problem is unresolved)
- Appendices with copies of documents examined, photos, charts, graphs, maps, tables, spreadsheets, or supplemental information.
Research Notes
This is the document in which you can pull together and summarize all your findings from the various research reports about a single individual for whom you conduct research. Every individual you research gets one Research Notes document. This is commonly organized chronologically based on the date of the event. It may include:
- Detailed document/source information and the record content with analysis of the source and information it provided
- Information gathered from cluster research
- Background information about the locality (jurisdictional changes, laws, social and religious context)
- Genealogical proof statements, summaries, and arguments
Genealogical Proof Summaries
Proof summaries are used when multiple sources or proof statements are needed to explain a conclusion. However, summaries should not be used when the proof of a genealogical relationship or event involves complicated questions of identify or difficult-to-resolve conflicting evidence.
Samples: (Click the document title to view)
- Proving the parentage of Samuel Lewis. (Successfully used with a lineage society application.)
Genealogical Proof Arguments (GPA)
These are typically detailed narratives explaining why your conclusion(s) about a difficult genealogical problem accurately resolves the issue. This format is commonly used when conclusions are based upon indirect evidence only or address questions of identity or conflicting evidence. A GPA will include background information about the research question/problem, describe the evidence used as proof, and summarize the elements presented in the discussion that support the conclusion.
Samples: (Click the document title to view)