- 01
Observe
Describe what you notice.
- 02
Document
Preserve the context and record.
- 03
Test
Use controls and repeat the test.
- 04
Analyze
Compare independent records.
- 05
Attempt to explain
Test conventional explanations.
- 06
Report
Share findings and limitations.
01 / Observe
Describe what happened without naming a cause. Separate a witness account, direct investigator perception, and a device output. Record the setting and who was present.
02 / Document
Record exact times and time zones, location, instrument settings and units, participants, environmental conditions, and original file IDs. Preserve the ordinary events around a candidate event.
03 / Test
Choose a conventional hypothesis and state what you would expect to observe if it were correct. Use a control condition and repeat the procedure when safe and practical. Record failures and inconclusive results.
04 / Analyze
Compare independent records and reviewers. Check timing, instrument limits, artifacts, handling, expectations, and source integrity. Analyze copies and retain untouched originals.
05 / Attempt to explain
Test electrical interference, radio broadcasts, acoustics, airflow, reflections, animals, equipment behavior, and perceptual effects where relevant. Failure to reproduce one explanation does not eliminate all ordinary causes.
06 / Report
State the question, procedure, results, tested explanations, classification, and remaining limits. Explain what evidence could change the conclusion. Keep personal experiences distinct from measured findings.
Worksheets for this topic
Contamination Log
Record interference and preserve it in the final analysis.
DOWNLOAD FILLABLE PDFAlternative Explanation/Debunking Worksheet
Test competing explanations and record negative or inconclusive results.
DOWNLOAD FILLABLE PDFFinal Investigation Report
Report methods, records, tested explanations, and the limits of findings.
DOWNLOAD FILLABLE PDF