Joplin Note-taking Software: I use it to keep my research logs.

 I have been the world's worst about keeping a research log.  I have tried all sorts of forms published by a whole variety of companies and individuals, and nearly all, if not all, of the ones listed on Cyndi's List.  None have been satisfactory.  I like a lot of detail, and most of these forms do not have enough room for the completeness I crave in making research log entries.

I have tried various templates that others have created for their research logs.  Ones that use Excel or another spreadsheet software, I still find too much of a strait-jacket, and I'm not all that smart about spreadsheets, anyway. 

Because of the above difficulties, I just haven't been good about keeping a research log.

On my way to other things online, I ran into a software package that I have found ideal in meeting my criteria.  Joplin is a free, open-source note-taking software that is flexible and adaptable.  I can make a "notebook" for each individual in my family tree, and enter free-form, detailed notes and source citations.  I am not restricted by the inflexibility of a form.  For each source I locate, I enter a brief description of the fact(s) found in each source document.  I can comment on the reliability of the source, whether it is original or derivative, and on the information in the source, whether it is primary or secondary, and how the source stacks up as evidence.  Then I enter the source citation.  

When I need to document a statement in my blog, an analysis of the information found in a source, a posting on Ancestry.com in my trees, or whenever I need a source citation, I can simply copy the citation I have entered for the source under each individual that I have already created in my notes in Joplin.

Here's a sample of an entry in Joplin for research on my great-great-great granduncle Major Wellman Packard, of my father's paternal line, concerning his kinship to Nathaniel Strong Sunderland, another great-great-great granduncle through my mother's paternal line:

"Major Wellman Packard and Nathaniel Strong Sunderland married to sisters: Packard to Ellen Harris; Sunderland to Rachel Harris.  Both men wrote receipts to the Estate of Israel Harris, father of Ellen and Rachel, for having receive the bequests; their wives, daughters of Israel Harris, also signed.

"Last will and testament of Israel Harris. Montgomery County, Ohio, Estate Files, Ca. 1810-1887; Probate Place: Montgomery, Ohio. Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998: Montgomery County, Estate Files, Volume C, page 477. Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8801/images/005885619_00381?pId=11232916. (Last accessed 21 January 2025)"

The entries are made in RichText format, which most word-processing programs, even proprietary ones like Microsoft Word, can interpret.  Joplin has apps for a variety of devices, including mobile phones for on-site research.  It can accommodate photos taken with a phone's camera.  The program can use videos, photos, and audio files, too.

So I'm getting better about keeping a research log, now that I have found a software package I am happy with.