Step 3 - Tips
Record where you find your information (this is known as the source) from the beginning of your research. Failure to do so may find you a few months later doing the research again.
Keep a log of the resources that produced the results so that you can find them useful again.
When gathering information from your relatives keep an open unbiased mind. Aunt Mabel may not remember dates that well and could send you on a wild goose chase.
When looking at the census, remember that the years of birth were often rounded off to the nearest year. You may find that you have 3 or 4 possible dates of birth.