Finding Your Scottish Ancestors by Kirsty F Wilkinson

Author:Kirsty F Wilkinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Crowood Press

EXPERT TIP

By following the steps of the GPS, identifying relevant records, analysing and citing our sources, correlating evidence and writing a well-reasoned conclusion, we can ensure that our research is as accurate as possible, and that any new evidence uncovered is likely to support our conclusions rather than overturn them.

6 Planning and Recording Research

What is a Research Question?

As discussed in the previous chapter, information found in a genealogical source only becomes evidence when we use it to answer a particular research question. So what is a research question, and how do we choose one?

Some of us may begin family history research because we want to solve a particular family mystery or investigate a family story, but many of us start out only with the vague idea that we want to learn more about our family and where they, and we, came from. As we progress and discover more about our ancestors we will face new mysteries and start to form new questions. We may feel bogged down with the sheer amount of information we have gathered and the number of relatives we have identified, and feel uncertain about where to go next. Eventually we will hit the inevitable ‘brick wall’. It is at this point that we need to think about our research question.

A research question is any question we have about our ancestors and their lives that we set out to answer through family history research. In order to plan and carry out research effectively we need to know what it is we are looking for, otherwise it is very easy to waste a lot of time going over the same ground and getting nowhere.

A good research question involves a particular ancestor and is specific and focused. Some examples of typical genealogy research questions include:

When and where was Catharine Jack born?

Who were the parents of Andrew Livingston?

Where was Janet Cameron living at the time of the 1851 census?

Which regiment did James MacGillivray serve in, and how long was he in the army?

When and where did Agnes Stevenson die?

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