Last time I discussed the “why” of using research research “plogs” (a combo plan/log). Now we will look at some of the “how” for creating a plog that will work for you. The first thing you’ll want to decide is how you’re going to create yours. I have ideas and suggestions, but ultimately, it will be up to you to decide what makes sense for your workflow.

Over the years, I have done this in many different formats. My first research plogs, were just logs (not plans), and were written on paper! I don’t have any of those old plans at my finger tips (if I even kept them at all) or I would should you a picture. You can find PDF forms that you can print and fill in if paper is the way you’d like to go. Check out this category on Cyndi’s List for some options.

Now I utilize digital options for my research plans/logs. The main advantage to this is that they are searchable. Once your plog gets lengthy, and you want to check something, being able to do a keyword search with the “find” option on the software you use is so valuable. The other advantage is that digital plogs can be mobile. If you’re using paper, you have to make sure you don’t forget it when you head off on a research trip. Whereas, depending on the software you use, it can be accessed via your laptop or mobile device if you’re syncing to the cloud.

Options for plogs:

• Paper forms
• Spreadsheets
• Word processing documents or tables
• Note-taking software, I use Evernote but others exist

The other aspect I want to share about how I use plogs in the setup stage, is by project. My plogs are based on one project, and those projects are based on a research question.

Early on, I made logs that had to do with a repository visit and nothing at all to do with a particular project, or even a surname. Those got very clunky and unwieldy and just not very usable. They were not organized in a logical way that I didn’t not really discover until later when I went to review what I had done for one particular surname or project.

So I evolved. And that’s what we do, right? We try things, make mistakes, make adjustments, and try again. I guarantee I will likely change how I use my research “plogs” in the future. But for now, they are working for me. We will dive into some in more detail next time and discuss their pros and cons for different types, styles, and versions.