When I was a “baby genealogist” I did not know about research plans or logs (I call them “Plogs” by the way) for quite some time. Then I heard someone discuss them (can’t recall exactly where or who, far too many years have passed) and I really tried to incorporate them into my research routine.

You know that phenomenon where you’ll hear about something but your brain isn’t ready to use it or understand it. And then you’ll hear the same thing years later and that “Ah ha! It makes so much sense now!” happens? That is what happened with me and research plans and logs.

Why should we even bother? They can be somewhat tedious and take up valuable research time!

Here are some of the reasons why I use research “Plogs”:

1. I can avoid repeat searching. If we have limited research time, why waste it conducting a search we’ve already done?
2. I can double check my previous search parameters to determine if I do need to repeat some searches. Databases change, we learn about new names or items to search for, etc. If we keep good notes about what we searched for before, we can determine if we DO need to search again.
3. Plogs allow me to collect the data I need for creating citations.
4. Plogs allow me to analyze information and evidence while I’m looking at it.
5. I can put a “bookmark” in a research project if I keep good notes in my Plog.

In this series, we will look in-depth at how I use research plogs, my evolution using plogs over the years, some of my best tips, dos and don’ts, and ideas for effective, efficient research.