Self Auditing: Reviewing Your Research
Step 1: Make A Plan, Stan
Ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish. Are you trying to clean up records that may have been saved that aren't applicable? Are you trying to see what records you're lacking? Are you trying to re-examine records you've been meaning to come back to and haven't had time? If you can make a goal it's going to be easier for you to accomplish. Make sure that it's S.M.A.R.T: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Horizon focused.
Step 2: Pick a Branch
Step 3: Use a Checklist
I've included a PDF version of this checklist with this post. This is an example of how I use it for my own research. This is the checklist I keep in Samuel Wylie's folder. When I do my audit I can look at it and see that information I have on my great-grandfather. I will cross reference this checklist with the information that's in the folder for Samuel (I know every document that I have is identified on this list). I'll then use this checklist to look at my family tree program, making sure that the documents are the same. This is a great time to make sure I haven't added something to my tree that I also haven't saved to my cloud drive. For this checklist, I can see that I have his death certificate, will, and burial record I don't have a birth record for him. I have one marriage record, but no license. I can also see what census records he appears in and the social security index. He never served in the military, so that wasn't applicable to him. With a quick glance, I can easily see what records I still need to search for. I like to update this check list from year to year. Last year, for instance, my paternal grandfather's checklist showed that there was no birth certificate. This year in my audit I'm checking that off the list! Conducting your own research audit is a great way to keep your research on track and help you stay organized. Happy hunting! |
ancestor_checklist.pdf |