Before video taping a scene,
recording evidence or even snapping that first photograph, when we get the call to investigate a potentially haunted location
we begin with research. An important aspect to any investigation, the research process is essential if a paranormal experience
is documented.
Google is not research.
Personal Interviews
The owner or manager
of the location will be one of the best sources for information on the subject. These are the keepers of the history of the
site, information on prominent people or relatives associated with the location as well as the paranormal occurrences.
Before any other research comes into play, it is best to conduct the personal
interviews for a reference point as well as prepare your plan-of-attack for the actual investigation.
Tips for Personal Interviews:
·
The information the owner or manager possesses could
be incorrect without them realizing it. Stories may have passed down from generation to generation or just rumor, but without
factual proof, these stories should be classified as hearsay.
· For personal interviews, a tape recorder may be your best bet for taking notes
instead of the traditional paper and pen. You would hate to waste both the interviewee’s and your time by writing out
the notes.
The Library
A
majority of research starts in the library. Research has changed dramatically over the past decade and now the library catalogs
make researching a subject a breeze. By entering key words, the most relevant search results appear first and so forth. The
search results not only help you find the location of the book or article but also the check-in status.
Instead of spending hours with a microfilm machine looking for relevant newspapers
articles, you can now use a database that has each article scanned as a PDF for quick searching and reading. Need something
a little more historical and not from last year? The L.A. Times online archive has newspaper articles dating back to December
4, 1881.
Tips for Library Research:
·
Confused? The library staff is there to help you.
They are more than willing to point you in the right direction, help you look up subjects and use the online databases.
·
Take good notes. You would hate to scribble confusing
notes and not be able to decipher what you wrote when you get home. Don’t forget to note dates and authors so you can
back up your research.
·
Get a library card. You will be able to check out
books, use the library’s computers and Internet for free and will also be able to access the databases at home –
saving you a trip to the library.
· If you copy an article or text word for word you are plagiarizing. Very bad.
Historical Societies
A majority
of towns have historical societies, which can possess a wealth of information on the town and prominent people in that populace.
Housing their own collection of books, manuscripts, maps, flyers and photographs, researching a particular site will turn
up more specific results including history of the city, events, milestones and tragedies.
A high percentage of investigations have a sighting of a person that is closely tied to the property, such
as a previous owner, architect, occupant or any other person that used the location as one of their local haunts (no pun intended).
Historical societies are the perfect resource for examining a person of note’s date of birth, cause and date of death
and where interred, which may be important to the case.
Tips for Historical Society Research:
· Historical societies have limited hours so a weekend visit may not be an option. Give the location
a call and they may be able to address your questions over the phone, fax or e-mail you information on your subject.
·
More than likely, you will not be able to check
out books or articles so remember to take good notes or photocopy, if available, the research.
The Internet
Please note how this is the last type of study for paranormal
research.
The Internet is not the best source for information when
examining a particular subject. It is, however, a good tool in preparing your research. It can give you a starting-off point
of what you should be researching and can point you in the right direction.
There are a handful of Web sites that can be trusted as fact, such as Microsoft’s Encarta that is an online encyclopedia, BNET’s FindArticles that houses 500 print periodicals starting from
1998, Internet Public Library that is a collection of online resources and the
Library of Congress that contains materials on American history including
photography, maps and documents.
If you were to Google
“haunted places” you will come back with 5,830,000 search results. The paranormal is a very popular subject with
numerous attempts to post photographs, recordings, videos and personal experiences to prove potential life after death or
other strange anomalies. When researching on the Internet, please keep this in mind and the definition of fact:
Fact – Defined as something that is true, something that actually exists, or something
that can be verified according to an established standard of evaluation.
Tips for Internet Research:
· All someone needs to post a paranormal Web site is $15, a black Web page with
a photo of Beetlejuice, a catchy URL such as www.IHaveProofOfAGhost.com, a photograph of dust and a caption that reads “Collection
of Ghostly Orbs”. Do not believe everything you read or see on the Internet.
·
If you do find good information pertaining to your
subject on the Internet, make sure to site your source for your research.
· Wikipedia should not be considered as a source of information – it is
an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
A key thing to
remember: If there is a claim of paranormal activity at the search site in question, the activity is hearsay until captured
on video tape or recording, personally witnessed by more than one person and not scientifically disproved. Good
luck and happy hunting!
