Whether you are an experienced researcher or just getting started, there are at least five things you can do with every record you encounter. Just finding the record and attaching it to your tree isn’t enough. Try walking through these five steps with your records.

1. Source the record. This may seem obvious but you might be surprised how often individuals don’t source the record they’ve found. You need to know where that source comes from and who supplied it. Every source should be evaluated for its information value. Not knowing who supplied the information makes a big difference. Your crazy aunt may have given you the info, and now it’s up to you to decide whether you can trust her. Always source that information.
2. Examine the image, not just the index. While we are often just given the index to deal with, you should always seek to find the original image wherever possible. Not everything you are looking for will be recorded in the index. There are always clues on the image if you think to look at it. While searching for my great uncle Sven in census records, I came across the 1920 US Census in Utah. I examined the image and was surprised to find that his wife had two children, both of which had died. I found both of those death certificates and the burial information. We were able to have those children sealed to their parents. I also noted that he was working as a carpenter which helped to confirm that I was looking at the correct person.
3. List all the points of genealogical importance. It is amazing how much better you can understand the information you are looking at if you will write down all the information you find there. Invariably, you will see something that you might otherwise have missed. Or, you understand better the information you have found. It doesn’t matter how insignificant you think that information may be. If you make assumptions about the information, also make that note. When you go back to that source, you can see the information that was contained in it without having to examine the source again.
4. What questions do you have? I have yet to find a source which didn’t leave me with some questions, either to continue researching or to wonder why something was recorded in a particular way. Make a list of those questions in your genealogy software or in a Word file. Then when you go back to the library or other sources, you have your research questions ready.
5. File it so you can find it later. How many of us would be hard pressed to pull out a source that we found five years ago? One year? Last week? Whatever system you choose to track your sources, be sure that it is one that works well for you. Perhaps include it in your notes file of your software. Make your system work for you rather than against you.  –Liz Kennington (Source: Ancestry Annie, 29 October 2013)