Where to begin Well, thankfully the web has made genealogical research, including military research, relatively straightforward. But its also made it somewhat confusing because of the volume of information available. However, weve found that by following a few simple rules, the journey can be quick, productive and enjoyable. So, here they are

Rule One: Know your goal

If you dont know where youd like to go, odds are youre unlikely to get there. Instead, youre more likely to drift and duplicate your efforts over time. Not having a direction can make also make the experience frustrating as theres no end in sight, just reams of information to sift through.

So, rule number one is to think about what you want to achieve and write down what it is you want to research. These goals can be expressed in general or specific terms. When considering what they are, it's useful to remember that most people are typically looking to research one of three things:

• Their family name generally to discover new relatives or namesakes
• The history of a particular individual who may or may not be in their family
• The history of a particular regiment or members of that regiment

Rule Two: Start with a route map but be flexible

Before setting out on your journey, its best to create a route map of the landmarks youll visit along the way. By this I mean it helps to have a plan of where you expect to find the information youre looking for. But theres a caveat here. Be flexible with this plan and let it evolve over time as some sources will prove less fruitful than others and new leads will emerge.

To create your route map it might be helpful to visit our list of the best genealogical research sites on the web. These sources are often fully searchable and provide access to military genealogy information such as:

• British military personnel records from 1656 - 1994
• Medal roll calls with details of an individual's medal entitlement
• Original citations for gallantry medals giving details of the acts which led to the honor
• Campaign medal and Victoria Cross registers detailing those entitled to these awards
• Original interviews with recently released prisoners of war
• Government records including births, marriages, deaths and census results

Rule Three: Trace your steps

When trawling through multiple resources and pieces of information its easy to forget where youve been. This means that you might waste considerable time and energy re-tracing your steps. So, rule number three is to keep track of the sites and pieces of information you have reviewed. The more detailed your notes (within reason of course) the better. I typically note the name of the resource, the records it had on offer, which of these I used, how helpful they were and how, if at all, they were priced.

Rule Four: Keep a record

It's fascinating to read through and explore the information on offer. It's also important not just to read but to take notes of what you've found. This means that you can produce a profile of the individual you're researching,share this with others, reminisce on it over the years and use it as a stepping stone tofurther research should that be of interest.