A record of what you learned and what remains open

A genealogy research report template you can fill in and print.

Turn one round of research into an account you or a relative can follow. Explain the question, the work you completed, what the records suggest and where you would look next. Keep the sources beside your reasoning.

Six optional parts · Your own words and references · Text download · Blank or filled browser printing · No account

Getting the worksheet ready…

Your words stay in this page’s memory. They are not uploaded or autosaved: refreshing or closing clears them. Download text or print before leaving. Include only details you are comfortable sharing.

Write up this round of research

Use six optional parts to explain what you checked, what you found and what remains open. A part with only references is included too.

Report title (optional)Person or family (optional)Prepared by (optional)Research dates or period covered (optional)Choose a section

The question and boundariesYour report text

What did you set out to learn? Name the people, place and period, and say what this round of work did not cover.

Source references and open checks

Give each important claim a reference you can find again: repository, collection, document, page or image and version consulted. Keep missing details or an unread original labeled. No sources are fetched or attached.

Genealogy research report

Person or family: ____________________

Prepared by: ____________________

Research dates or period covered: ____________________

Made with MemoirWell · memoirwell.com/tools/genealogy-research-report-template

1. The question and boundaries

Source references and open checks — section 1

2. The starting clues

Source references and open checks — section 2

3. The work actually completed

Source references and open checks — section 3

4. How the findings fit together

Source references and open checks — section 4

5. The answer so far

Source references and open checks — section 5

6. A useful next step

Source references and open checks — section 6

Give a reader the path behind your answer

Start with the boundaries of this work: the person, place, period and question you actually investigated. Summarize the searches you completed, including a search with no match, without making a wider claim than its coverage supports. Use the reference field beside each part to identify the records you consulted and anything still to check.

The Vermont Genealogy Library’s forms page distinguishes a research log for tracking actions and progress from a research report for summarizing research and results. The Society of Genealogists’ guide to writing reports describes recording searched records and findings, including searches with no result, alongside conclusions, source citations and suggestions for further research. These are original MemoirWell prompts for writing your own account.

A fictional example

Question: Was Jo Example living on Oak Street in 1939? Work completed: pages 1–20 of an invented town directory, entries under Example and Exampel. Finding: no matching entry on those pages. Reference: R-01, fictional directory, pages 1–20. Answer so far: this search does not establish Jo’s address. Next step: check the directory’s coverage and the remaining relevant entries before comparing another record. The missing match is kept with the limits of the search.

Choose a report, log or plan for the task in front of you

Use a report to connect the work already done into a readable account. Keep detailed individual searches in a research log. A research plan helps you decide what to check next. Nothing is imported between these pages: save each worksheet before leaving it.

Before you save your report

Is this a free printable genealogy research report template?

Yes. Print an empty report with all six parts and handwriting lines, or enter your own text first. Adding only a title or identifying details still gives you the blank report. Filled copies include parts with text or references, keep their original numbers and skip untouched parts. Empty reference fields are omitted from filled copies.

Can an unanswered question or a search with no result be included?

Yes. Describe what you checked and its limits. Keep an unanswered question, a possible explanation or conflicting information in your own words. A part containing only a source reference or an open check is included too.

Does filling this in establish a family relationship or meet a proof standard?

No. You write and evaluate the report. The worksheet does not search records, fetch links, verify citations, resolve conflicting evidence, generate conclusions or certify a research standard. It has no AI writing, file upload or automatic transfer from another tool.

Where is my report saved?

Only in this page’s memory. Your text is not uploaded or autosaved; refreshing or closing clears it. Download text or print before leaving. TXT and PDF copies cannot be reopened here as an editable report. Include only details you want in the copy you save or share.

How do I print or save a PDF?

Print or save PDF opens the browser’s print dialog. Choose Letter or A4 and check the preview. Browser-menu printing also works while editing. Written parts run in order without forcing each onto a new page; long text can continue onto further pages. Reference labels identify their part number.

Keep a remembered scene beside the research

Save your report first. MemoirWell’s separate guided interview can help you develop your own memory into an AI-assisted draft chapter to check and edit. Your report is not transferred automatically.

Start a free first chapter

Download or print your report before leaving this page.