Research Trail / Guides
Free genealogy research log template
Updated 25 October 2026
Choose your columns, then download a Word document or print it (or save it as a PDF). No sign-up, and nothing you type leaves this page.
What goes in a research log
A research log records every search you make for one research question, so you can see at a glance where you’ve looked, what you found, and what’s left. The columns most genealogists use are:
- Date: when you searched. Online collections grow, so a search that found nothing in 2024 may be worth repeating.
- Repository: the archive, library, website or office, such as a county record office, FamilySearch or a state archive.
- Record set or source: the collection, database, register or microfilm you searched.
- Searched for: the names and spellings, the years and the places you tried. This is what lets you, or anyone else, repeat the search exactly.
- Result: found, nothing found, or inconclusive.
- Notes and findings: what turned up, or for a negative search, what ground it covered.
- Call number or URL: enough to find the record again.
How to fill it in
- Write one research objective at the top. Keep it narrow: “When and where did Mary Ann Kelly die?” works better than “Research the Kelly family”.
- Plan before you search. List the record sets likely to answer the question, and pencil them into the log as planned searches.
- Log every search on the day. Including the ones that find nothing: write “Nothing found” and the years, places and spellings you covered.
- Note variants. Wiśniewski might be indexed as Wisniewski, Visnefsky or Wishnefski. Record every spelling you tried.
- Review it before the next session. The log tells you what’s left to search and stops you paying for the same certificate twice.
Paper, spreadsheet or app?
Paper is fine for a single trip to an archive. Spreadsheets cope until the notes get long and the rows multiply across several questions. An app like Research Trail keeps one log per objective, links each search to a reusable source with a proper citation, and writes the research report and research calendar for you, in Word or PDF.
Questions
Is the template really free?
Yes. There’s no sign-up and nothing to pay. Download or print as many as you like, and share them with your society or class.
Can I edit the Word version?
Yes. It’s an ordinary .docx file. Add columns, change the wording or type straight into the table in Word, Pages, LibreOffice or Google Docs.
What’s the difference between a research log and a research calendar?
They’re often the same thing. Some genealogists use “research calendar” for the planned and completed searches in date order, and “research log” for the fuller notes. More on research calendars.
Should I log searches that found nothing?
Always. A negative search tells you, and anyone who reads your report, what has been ruled out. How to log negative searches.
Rather keep the log on screen? Research Trail is the same log with the dull parts done for you: datalists for repositories you’ve used, a result for every search, source citations, and a research report in Word or PDF in one click. Free for one objective.
Open Research Trail See the sampleSources
- Family Locket: Research logs, the key to organizing your family history
- Family Locket: Negative search results vs negative evidence (15 March 2026)