Which research tips will work best for you depends upon your circumstance, and the challenge you face.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Don't get discouraged.

Find others to support your efforts. A neighborhood computer guru, a fellow  genealogy buff, an aunt or uncle who has info to share and is genuinely interested in your effort's success, new friends on the Internet who live where your ancestors did and know that area's resources well. 

Add to this list. There is no shortage of resources you'll wish you had before you're through. Don't make the mistake of trying to do it all on your own. That's harder, not smarter, and not as much fun. We need each other -- if only for encouragement.

While looking for data on John Doe, I frequently trip over data about Mary Smith. Since I need both, I stop to grab Mary's stuff, then return to the search for John.

Rather than search for missing cousins, why not help them find you? Set up a genealogy web site of your own snd let them come to you. I find a cousin or two each year this way. (Some are more helpful than others.) 

My most recent find was an illegitimate daughter of an ancestor's brother. I didn't even know she existed. Yet she had info I didn't.

Get involved with your local genealogy group and attend meetings. I was sitting in this very room years ago when a previously unknown cousin walked in carrying our great-grandmother's handwritten family history. How fast do you think I asked to photocopy that? The point is I was where she could find me -- if only by accident.

Stop and think about your problem. Are you looking in Ontario while the answer you seek is in Texas? It is amazing how many of us miss the obvious.

If you have a question, figure out who might know who has the answer. There is little to be gained by asking someone who knows less than you.

Genealogy data may all be stored locally, but genealogy groups, societies and individuals all over the world are steadily moving to the Internet. Visit their web sites. Post messages in their discussion forums. Leave an email trail others can find.

Now that you've interviewed all your local cousins twice, do it again. I've been quizzing my parents for a decade. You'd think I've heard it all before. But they continue to happen to mention things about ancestors I didn't know. I'm not sure such wells ever run dry.

As soon as you can, interview the oldest surviving family member. Leave this task too long and it will soon be too late. The oldest know more than we can gather in any other single afternoon. Take a tape recorder or notepad or both. Don't trust your memory. Don't forget your camera. Shouldn't the interview be videotaped? Just food for thought.

Use common sense. Born in 1890 or before, means dead today. Rather than check the current phone directory, check obituaries and cemeteries.

Re-read the obituaries you have transcribed. Even "useless" obits frequently include a pointer or two. While visiting his grave, look at the stones next his. They just might be relatives.

Check your (morality and predisposition) blinders at the door. Looking only for what you want to find is a good way to miss what's in front of you. It doesn't matter what you find to report; what matters is that you report it well.

Genealogy is fact-based. Don't make it up or try to justify it. Your role is "objective reporter in search of truth." It is not your job to justify or rationalize the truth you find.