Research Like a Pro: Why I Decided to Follow the Process

I have been researching my family history for almost 20 years, however, one of my favorite things about genealogy is that there is always something new to learn. There are so many paths that you can choose to learn new things, below is a list of a few of my favorite things to learn about:

Methodology
Record Types
Geographical/Location and Maps
Social History
Military History
Ethnic History

As a step in my path to continued education, I have started taking an e-course designed and led by Diana Elder A.G. and her daughter Nicole Dyer. The name of the course is "Research Like a Pro". The steps that Diana and Nicole outline in this course are logical and the process well thought out and easy to understand and follow. The image to the right provides an overview of The Research Like a Pro Process, which is broken down into seven steps:

Create a research objective
Analyze existing sources and create a timeline
Create a locality guide
Create a research plan
Research, according to your research plan and analyze and cite your sources
Record all research in your research log
Write up your research report!

Each lesson in the e-Course includes the following sections and helpful features:

A webinar, created by Diana and Nicole, to teach you about the current lesson and step in the process
Additional resources about the lesson topic. This could include blog posts, other webinars, podcasts, books, and other resources.
Assignment. This section provides detailed and easy to follow instructions on how to complete the specific step in the process. This section also includes helpful templates and examples to reference as you complete your assignment.
Quiz. There is a short 10 - 12 question quiz after each lesson to help you test your understanding of the topic and provide feedback to Diana and Nicole.

If you are anything like me, you will enjoy learning new research skills using this interactive e-Course and feel a sense of accomplishment when you mark each lesson complete and see the results of your effort.

Over the next few weeks, I will share my journey through the Research Like a Pro Process and the final outcome which is my completed research report. In the meantime, I highly suggest you check out Diana and Nicole's book, "Research Like a Pro: A Genealogists Guide", as well as their website, blog, podcast, and e-course.