·           Define what you want to achieve, such as to establish the names of all your direct ancestors as far back as possible.

·           Always research back from the known to the unknown, such as from yourself, to your parents, grandparents, great grandparents etc.

·           Talk to all your living relatives as they may hold important documents and know of oral family history.

·           Always consider when, where, how and why, about an event.

·           Obtain a good “how to book” on family history research. Also this information can be found on web sites.

·           Join at least one family history society, either where you live or in the district where your ancestors lived.

·           Where possible, always obtain proof from an original source, such as official birth, marriage and death records. The aim should be to have at least two sources proving one event.

·           Information from a secondary source, such as a web site or books, should always be verified.

·           Always check the spelling of given names, surnames, and place names. You should never assume your surname has always been spelt the same.

·           Always write down the results of your research even though you may have found nothing; note the date, place, name of record, and result.

·           Always create a copy of important documents. That is, photocopy documents and place originals in a safe place, and copy data on your computer to a backup facility.

·           Advertise your research interests through clan societies, family history societies, web sites, etc. Share your research with your family.