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Fall 2026 Virtual Putting Skills to Work

The BCG Education Fund is pleased to announce our Fall 2026 Putting Skills to Work event which will be held virtually over Zoom.

Research Planning Essentials: A Workshop

INSTRUCTOR: GARY L. BALL-KIILBOURNE, PhD, CG®, CGL®

INSTRUCTOR BIO

Gary L. Ball-Kilbourne, PhD, CG®, CGL®, is a researcher, author, and educator. He is a trustee and the secretary of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and serves as the editor of BCG’s publication, OnBoard. He was on the faculty for the genealogical courses offered online by Boston University and has taught at SLIG and GRIP. He holds a PhD in religion and ethics from Vanderbilt University. Gary lives in Fargo, North Dakota.

Detailed Workshop Description: 

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there.”
–Yogi Berra, When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!: Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball’s Greatest Heroes (Hyperion, 2001), p. 53

The first thing you need to succeed in genealogical research is a good plan. And the first thing you need for a good plan is a good question. In this workshop—Research Planning Essentials—you will learn how to develop a success-building research plan from start to finish. In one afternoon, you will encounter segments focusing on:

  • Why Research Fails
  • Anatomy of Sound Research Planning
  • Skills for Effective and Efficient Research Planning
  • Guided Practice and Feedback in Research Planning

This workshop will prove particularly helpful to aspiring genealogists considering or preparing an application for the Certified Genealogist® credential with the Board for Certification of Genealogists. It will provide insights and hands-on practice with skills necessary in the planning of several types of genealogy research projects and work products.

Recommended Preparation:

  • Read Board for Certification of Genealogists, Genealogy Standards, second edition revised (Ancestry.com, 2021), pp. 11–15. (Genealogy Standards 9–18). 
  • Bring to the workshop: One research objective on which to practice. (Be sure to avoid any research objectives that you might want to involve in a CG certification application portfolio.)

Workshop Details:

To accommodate busy schedules, one three-and-one-half hour workshop will be held virtually on two different dates: Thursday, 12 November 2026, 1:00 pm, and Saturday, 14 November 2026, 1:00 pm. Times are U.S. eastern time zone.

Registration will open in September. Attendance for each workshop is capped at 30 attendees.  The event will not be recorded.

Past Putting Skills to Work

Past workshops and instructors

Mary McCampbell Bell, CG. “Abstracting Records: Land Records,” 2003, 2004. “Abstracting Documents,” 2007.
Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG. “Spreadsheets 201: Manipulating Data to Dismantle Brick Walls,” 2016.
Melinde Lutz Byrne, CG, FASG, FNGS. “Editor’s Ink: Writing for Genealogical Journals,” 2012.
Victor S. Dunn, CG. “I Rest My Case: Constructing a Convincing Proof Argument,” 2014.
Stefani Evans, CG. "Understanding the Records," 2021.
Ann Carter Fleming, CG, CGL, FNGS. “Writing Family History: Style, Index, and More,” 2009.
Margaret Rose Fortier, CG. "Applying Standards to Writing for Publication," 2025.
Kay Haviland Freilich, CG, CGL, FNGS. “Planning Research,” 2006. “Writing the Ancestral Story,” 2009.
Harold Henderson, CG. "Making Genealogical Conclusions Readable, Understandable, and Credible," 2021.
Marty Hiatt, CG. “Writing Reports,” 2006. “Arguing: Writing Proof Summaries,” 2007.
Patricia Lee Hobbs, CG, CGG. "Mastering Reasonably Exhaustive Research: Identifying, Analyzing, and Prioritizing," 2025.
Sharon Hoyt, CG. "Organizing and Analyzing Evidence for Genealogical Success," 2024.
Melissa Johnson, CG. "Meeting Standards with Twenty-First Century Research Reports," 2019.
Robbie Johnson, CG. "Research Insider: The Whole Story," 2023.
Karen Mauer Jones, CG, FGBS, FUGA. "Tackling the Family Narrative," 2022.
Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, FUGA. “Genealogical Documentation: What, Why, and How,” 2008. “Editing Your Own and Others’ Genealogical Writing,” 2012. "Citing All Kinds of Online Sources," 2018. "Detecting, Assessing, Assembling, and Reasoning from Genealogical Evidence," 2021.
Jan Joyce, DBA, CG, CGL, AG. "Deconstruct to Reconstruct: Writing Proof Arguments for Maximum Impact," 2024.
Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL. "Walk a Mile in Their Shoes: Writing the Ancestors' Stories with Social History and Historical Context," 2022.
Carolyn Ladd, JD, CG, AG. “Paper Trails & Legal Tales: Analyzing History One Record at a Time,” 2025.
Connie Lenzen, CG. “Historical Context: More Than A Timeline,” 2013. "Planning and Executing Reasonably Exhaustive Research; or, How to Ensure a Successful Hunt," 2018.
Barbara Vines Little, CG, FNGS, FVGS. “Working with Documents: From Discovery to What Comes Next,” 2011.
David McDonald, D.Min., CG. “Reach for the Power Tools: Transcriptions & Abstractions,” 2016.
Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA. “Genealogy Standards in Context: A Practical Approach,” 2026.
Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG. "Research Insider: Putting the Puzzle Together," 2023.
Nancy A. Peters, CG. “Make Your Case: Correlating Evidence to Solve Genealogical Problems,” 2017. "Evidence Analysis: Theory, Practice, and the Real World," 2019. "Reporting on Research: Applying Standards Improves Written Communications," 2023.
Beverly Rice, CG. “The Path To Change And A Better Life—Migration,” 2013.
Mary Kircher Roddy, CG, CGG. "Applying Standards to Writing for Publication," 2025.
Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL. "Understanding the Law," 2021. "Paper Trails & Legal Tales: Analyzing History One Record at a Time," 2025.
Sara A. Scribner, CG. “Make Your Case: Constructing and Writing Proof Discussions,” 2017.
Karen Stanbary, CG, CGG. “DNA Standards in Context: A Practical Approach,” 2026.

Roster of Special Workshop Instructors

Debbie Parker Wayne, CG, CGL. “Genetic Genealogy: Effective Analysis and Correlation of DNA Test Results,” 2015.

The Credentials and their Designations, Certified Genealogist (CG), Certified Genetic Genealogist (CGG), and Certified Genealogical Lecturer (CGL), are registered certification marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®.

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