This comprehensive “Research Like a Pro with AI” workbook by Nicole Elder Dyer and Diana Elder, AG teaches intermediate to advanced genealogists how to integrate artificial intelligence tools into their research workflow without sacrificing quality. You’ll learn to use ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and other AI tools effectively throughout the Research Like a Pro process—from formulating objectives to writing reports. The workbook includes practical guidance for crafting effective prompts, validating AI-generated content, transcribing documents, creating citations, developing locality guides, and more. Through hands-on exercises, RLP project assignments for each chapter, and examples from Diana’s Isabella Weatherford Royston project, you’ll develop skills to enhance your productivity while maintaining your role as the expert decision-maker. Digital purchase includes a printable PDF of the interior and covers, as well as a digital Word file for typing. Within the book are links to downloadable templates and access to additional resources online.
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be coordinating Course 4 at the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR) 2025, titled “Integrating AI into Genealogical Research and Writing.” This course will explore how genealogists can effectively harness artificial intelligence tools while maintaining high standards of quality in their research and writing. Each day will have a theme, like research or transcription. There will be daily homework options as well as a dedicated hands-on session for the...
In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Diana and Nicole discuss the challenge of separating women with the same name in genealogical research, specifically focusing on two women named Cleo Zinn. Diana explains how she encountered a mystery DNA match that led her to research Mary Clem Carpenter and her daughter, Cleo. She discovers conflicting information about Cleo, including multiple husbands, death dates, and birthplaces. Diana details how she uses her Airtable research log...
In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Nicole and Diana discuss their ancestor, William Henry Kelsey, and the spiritual manifestations he recorded in his diary. They explore William’s early life in England, his conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his missionary service. The discussion includes details about William’s family, his various residences, and his marriage to Harriet Huggett. Nicole shares specific entries from William’s diary, including accounts of spiritual...
Nicole and Diana interview Rebecca Shamblin, genealogist, speaker, author, and blogger, about turning your family tree into a book. Rebecca gives an overview of her two books, “Leaving a Legacy: Turn Your Family Tree into a Family Book” and “Building a Legacy: A Guide to Combining Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker.” The hosts and Rebecca discuss the five phases of creating a family history book: planning, researching, writing, printing, and distribution. They talk about choosing...
In today’s episode of Research Like a Pro, Diana and Nicole discuss the value of negative evidence in genealogy research. They explore the case of Henderson Weatherford, who was long assumed to be the son of William Weatherford. However, a careful examination of William’s probate records reveals that Henderson is not listed among the heirs. Additionally, tax records show that Henderson disappeared from the tax rolls between 1861 and 1862, and his property was subsequently...
In this episode of Research Like a Pro, Nicole and Diana discuss the challenges of using city directories in genealogical research. Nicole shares her experience with the Trinidad, Colorado, city directory, where she encountered indexing errors due to the directory’s unique formatting. The directory included the post office location after each person’s name, which the indexing process misinterpreted as a middle name. This led to difficulties in finding her research subject using the search function....
As researchers, we often need to reference past research plans, reports, logs, documents, and locality guides. If you’ve done multiple phases for the same research question, you will have a lot of data to use moving forward. What if you had an AI assistant that could help you pull out specific information from your research and use it in various ways? If this sounds appealing, you can check out Projects on Claude.ai by Anthropic. Like...
In this episode of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy podcast, hosts Diana and Nicole interview Lisa Stokes, AG, about educational opportunities for genealogists. Lisa, an experienced genealogist and educator, shares her insights on several valuable resources. She begins by discussing her e-course, Genealogy Source Citations Simplified, emphasizing the importance of proper citations for credibility and accuracy in genealogical research. Lisa’s course offers a simplified approach to citations, guiding students through step-by-step video tutorials and...
Nicole and Diana discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in report writing for genealogy research. They talk about the different roles AI can play, such as a coworker, creative assistant, tutor, and coach. Diana and Nicole acknowledge the challenges of using AI, including the need to track its use, fact-check responses, and maintain a personal writing style. Nicole shares how to use AI for various sections of a research report, such as...
