Genealogical research has a lot in common with doing a research paper for high school or college. You need to know how to locate information and they best types of records and information and where to locate them. In the old days you had to travel to the location of the county where your ancestors were. In the age of the internet, this is not needed as much, but even with all the information online, you may still need to visit a courthouse or a library with genealogical holdings. Knowing what you are looking for before you make a research trip will speed your research.