Review: Genealogy Methods and Techniques: A Practical Guide to Research, by Dr. Karen Cummings

No matter if you are just beginning your journey into genealogy research or are an accomplished researcher, this book is for you. I only wish this had existed when I first started it would have been so helpful. Despite the fact that I have been researching for numerous years, I still found it a refreshing approach to research methods, and learnt different ways of researching, some new methods, and it reinforced why you need to be methodical.

Written in a plain and easy-to-understand way, something that the UK market has been lacking. There are plenty of methodology books from the United States, but they seem very rigid. Karen offers a gentle approach, provides various options for doing things, and explains the different sourcing styles, etc.

The book is divided into 11 chapters, each building on the previous one, so to get the most from it, it is best read sequentially from the start. Explaining in a step-by-step process how to lay down and check the foundations of your research, Karen then suggests options to organise it, including the Mary Hill colour coding system. She then explains how to evaluate your research evidence and deal with conflicting evidence.

I found it very helpful to see how someone else handles these aspects, and I think that is the key to Karen's approach: not just stating “this is how it is done” but explaining various options where possible.



Karen has even included a chapter on DNA, my favourite! Explaining how it works in conjunction with regular research, genetic genealogy is such an important part of today’s genealogical research and continuing with the same case study brings the whole research process together.

Throughout the book, Karen uses personal case studies to explain research steps and includes relevant certificates and documents to help the reader follow the methods used. Each chapter concludes with a summary of the key points and action steps covered.