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General Genealogical Research
1.   Genealogy helps you to learn about your family and where you belong in that family.
2.   Genealogy is the history I didn't pay any attention to in school.
3.   Genealogy is the puzzles that I have always stayed away from.
4.   Genealogy is finding new relatives all over the world & learning new, interesting things from them.
5.   Include nicknames in quotation marks in the name field.
6.   Transcribe records – census, land, probate.
7.   Check every possible spelling of your surname.
8.   Join a Genealogy Society and take advantage of their programs and expertise of the members.
9.   Attend classes at the local Family History Center. They are free and always helpful.
10.   Contact historical and genealogy societies from the area being researched.
11.   Backup your software, backup your software and backup your software. You will not regret if you do, but you will regret it if you do not.
12.   Be open to several variations of a surname.
13.   Persevere, persevere, persevere.
Census
1.   Check every census in which your ancestor appears.
2.   When looking on censuses if you find a questionable name, sound out the given and/or surname several ways phonetically. The census takers often wrote what they heard.
3.   When reading the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Census, be aware that "Ia" usually was used as the abbreviation for Indiana rather than Iowa.
Charts & Forms
Evidence & Documentation
1.   Document a source for every fact you find.
2.   Source your information.
3.   Document every fact listed on your family.
4.   If you don't provide the sources for your information, then that information is practically worthless to other researchers.
Internet Research
1.   Don't always depend on "source material" others have posted. Even census records were not recorded accurately. Have at least 2 similar source results to back up your findings.
2.   "Google" your family names. You never know what you may find.
3.   Google your ancestor's address (urban area).
4.   Embrace the Internet but don't believe everything you read. See #1.
5.   Not everything is on the Internet. You still need to conduct original research.
Interviewing Family & Friends
1.   Family stories are not always true.
2.   Use family gatherings to collect stories from the senior members. Make videos!
3.   Use holidays and family gatherings to relate stories to the next generations.
Land Records