Creating My All-Encompassing Genealogy Research Log in OneNote

I struggled for years to use a research log. I tried a variety of tables and spreadsheets but would never manage to fill in all of the blanks.  My best efforts consisted of notes and saved links in a OneNote notebook. These efforts were somewhat decent but not always used. When I did not use a research log, I duplicated searches, did not always add sources, and was easily distracted.

Creating My Research Log

I did not want a formal report to share but knew that I needed to improve my research strategies and wanted a final product that would reflect reasonably exhaustive research. Determined to create a log I would use regularly, I spent much time critiquing my research habits and learning about research logs and time management. 

My requirements were as follows.

• a document to contain all research information about one person or subject and serve as a research log, a research plan, and a summary of my findings

• the ability to add as little or as much information as needed as well as adding sources, narratives, and screenshots of records 

• an easy-to-access research log template 

• a reminder to use a variety of repositories appropriate for the search and a list of record types to use as a visual reminder when planning research

• a section for a timeline 

• a way to include my ancestors' FAN Club (Family, Associates, and Neighbors) 

• a place to add a summary, next steps, and, if needed, a rough draft for a blog post

• a strategy as to what happens to the completed research log

Take a Look at My OneNote Notebooks

In my last post, Using OneNote as Temporary Storage for My Genealogy Research, I told of my change from permanent family notebooks in OneNote to using OneNote as temporary storage for much of my research. In this post, I will describe the OneNote notebooks I use for genealogy. Samples you can copy to your OneNote notebooks can be found at the bottom of this post. 

I currently have five working OneNote notebooks. That is a considerable reduction of over 25 notebooks since the summer of 2020, when I decided to stop storing information in family notebooks.

                OneNote Notebooks used for Genealogy                     

I use only two notebooks for genealogy. Surprisingly, my most used notebook for genealogy is my Work from Home notebook. This notebook came to pass in March 2020 when everything closed due to the pandemic. I was working from my home office and wanted everything work-related within easy reach on my second monitor. Gradually my personal tasks were added to the notebook, and genealogy soon followed. Upon retirement, that notebook is now a combination of sections related to personal / family needs and genealogy. It is almost always found on my vertical screen.

OneNote Notebook: Work From Home 

Beginning on the left, I will briefly explain how I use the genealogy-related sections of my Work from Home notebook seen below. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.  

Presentation handouts from webinars, conferences, and other genealogical activities are placed in this notebook's Education - Webinars section. I take notes on the handout in OneNote from my iPad or computer.  As I review my notes and the handout, I look for any suggested links or tasks that I might have noted and add them to one of my to-do lists. Most handouts are eventually discarded. Only a few make it to my digital files.