More about tools and techniques follows, but first,
here's our own collection of unique equipment guaranteed to help you

Go Beyond Now

Tools:

PEDS TM Paranormal Energy Detection System PEDS converts the ambient electromagnetic field into audio frequency waveforms that can be monitored with earphones or interfaced with a computer to create a powerful and revolutionary new tool for paranormal research. If it moves, it's paranormal, and PEDS will let you know . . .

UV Photography The photo at left was taken with a standard 35 mm film camera at night in a room that was completely dark. It was shot without using a flash or any auxiliary light source. Furthermore, the camera's lens was covered with a special filter that blocks all wavelengths of visible light and passes only ultraviolet rays. Learn more about this picture and its implications for paranormal research . . .

INFRASOUND-O-SCOPE Recent research suggests that infrasound (sound waves at frequencies below the range of human hearing) may produce certain psychological effects associated with many paranormal-type experiences. Here's a technique that allows you to "see" the ambient infrasound waves . . .

Digital Volt Meter / Multimeter One of the most common experiences reported during paranormal investigations is this: "The battery died." Investigators will spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on hi-tech equipment when it seems that one of the best "ghost detectors" available might be a simple battery! Doesn't it make sense to have a means for checking your battery's voltage before beginning an investigation, and once again after what appears to be premature battery death? Duh.

Techniques:

Go Beyond Now  Rule #1:  The equipment is not the experiment.

The recent advancements in electronic technology have been both a blessing and a curse for paranormal research.
On the curse side, for example:
There seems to be an unwritten rule that if you don't have the most sophisticated equipment available, then you can't be doing serious research.
The complementary and equally erroneous rule is that if you do have the latest and greatest gear, then you are doing serious research.

Sure, I think we should be taking advantage of all the potential resources available to us in this field of research, but so many paranormal enthusiasts seem to have lost sight of the fact that their technical gadgets are merely tools, and, like any tools, the quality of work that can be done with them depends on the user and how skillfully that user is able to apply the tool to the job at hand.

Being able to skillfully apply the tools of technology to scientific research means much more than knowing which buttons to push and where the cables plug in. There is a certain degree of artistry required in the design of a good research project; a high level of both abstract and critical thinking is needed in the design and preparation stages. First, you need to figure out exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish and then you have to formulate a plan for employing your available technology (either simple or complex) in a systematic and properly controlled manner so as to produce meaningful results. Simply walking around a building snapping photos, watching EMF meters, running tape recorders, etc., does not in and of itself constitute an effective research project, nor does it produce any meaningful results!

This is a great time for paranormal investigators to step back from their fascination of technology for technology's sake and start getting back to basics. Consider taking a class in electronics, photography, physics, chemistry, psychology, etc. Learn about the design and execution of a viable scientific experiment. Read some books - you know, those things with words printed on paper. Talk to people who have experience in "normal world" applications with the same kinds of hi-tech equipment you're planning to use in your investigations and then get some normal world experience with it yourself before trying to jump the paranormal border. Above all, learn to think!  
 

Using fine tools does not make one a good craftsman,
but a good craftsman can do fine work using simple tools.
 

Here's a well-written article on the scientific method from Wikipedia:  Scientific Method 
Please read it. Some try to claim that paranormal studies can't be subjected to the scientific method.
That's just an excuse made by people who don't have what it takes to do the job.

Here's an intermediate level guide to conducting experimental science projects:  Experimental Science Projects
Shouldn't paranormal investigators be held to at least the same standards that are required for high school science fairs?
If not, what's the point? Can you think of ways the scientific method can be applied to studying things paranormal? 

The material on this website (except where otherwise indicated) has been prepared by J. Hale.
All original content is copyright protected and all publication rights are reserved. Effective September 1, 2006, and beyond.