Research Outlines

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The popular printed FamilySearch Library Research Outlines (aka Research Guide or Guidelines) were taken out of print in 2009. Many in the genealogy community were saddened when the announcement was released.

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However, you should be happy to know that all of the information in these Outlines has been transferred to the corresponding locality pages in the Research Wiki, and are being developed further by dedicated volunteers all over the world.

To find the "new" Research Outline for your locality of interest, enter the locality in the search box on the right.

Research Outlines on the Wiki[edit | edit source]

For decades, the Family History Library (FHL) has published research outlines to instruct patrons in genealogical techniques and list the best records to use in family history research. In 2009, we retired research outlines for several reasons, which are outlined in the Introduction to the FamilySearch Wiki. This article explains how to use FamilySearch Wiki to find more current versions of the types of information traditionally found in research outlines.

In 2008, we copied all the research outlines to the wiki, and began the process of updating them. We then split the long outlines into separate articles. A research outline on paper may have 40 pages or more, with information that covers a wide-range of topics, such as census, vital, and land records. In the wiki, each topic is covered in a separate article. So, if you're used to referencing the Church Records section of the Pennsylvania Research Outline, then on the wiki you would find the same information by doing a search on the terms, pennsylvania church, and select on the Search Results page the article named, "Pennsylvania Church Records."

Copies of Original Research Outlines[edit | edit source]

Even with the enhanced research information found within the wiki articles, some researchers still use the outlines as they contain valuable information about genealogy and the records that are applicable to today's research.

The original outlines were converted into .pdf files by the BYU Family History Library, and are now hosted on their website.

Africa[edit | edit source]

Asia[edit | edit source]

British Isles[edit | edit source]

Canada[edit | edit source]

Europe[edit | edit source]

Latin America[edit | edit source]

Non-locality Outlines[edit | edit source]

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The usage of "Mormon" and "LDS" on this page is approved according to current policy.


Scandinavia[edit | edit source]

Specialty U.S. Outlines[edit | edit source]

United States[edit | edit source]