Whether you choose to agree with my assessment or not, the paranormal research field is chaotic, unorganized and lacks structure as a whole. There are some groups who are very good at what they do, but unfortunately, the majority rule appears in the opposite light. Paranormal organizations throughout the country use the idea of science in their work, but lack the understanding to truly work within the scientific method. A simple Google search and basic understanding of what the scientific method is does not make one a scientist. Unfortunately, trying to tell this to the majority of the paranormal community as it stands today, is like trying to tell an infant that it is an infant. The infant is not aware of itself or what it actually is. It is only concerned with the now and not so much the past or the future. It only desires are to sleep and feed. That infant will grow and eventually know what it was. It will never be an infant again, but it will eventually be aware of what it used to be. The paranormal field is often said to still be in its infancy. The irony is uncanny.

 The scientific research enterprise, like other human activities, is built on a foundation of trust. Scientists trust that the results reported by others are valid. Society trusts that the results of research reflect an honest attempt by scientists to describe the world accurately and without bias. The level of trust that has characterized science and its relationship with society has contributed to a period of unparalleled scientific productivity. But this trust will endure only if the scientific devotes itself to exemplifying and transmitting the values associated with ethical scientific conduct. (On Being a Scientist, Second Edition 1995)

Can we truly trust paranormal research being conducted by organizations that continuously pop up overnight? Can we trust the results and data being presented by organizations and groups that continuously fail to show any understanding of ethical scientific conduct? The sad fact is that as researchers, we are sometimes blind to the realities of our work and overlook the ramifications of not dealing with and creating a standardized structure for scientific paranormal research. It is understood that many groups are nothing more than hobbyists looking for a thrill and to adhere to their self desires of wanting to see or "experience" something paranormal, however, more and more groups are claiming to be scientific in their research, yet few have been able to justify this statement in their research.

Underlying all science is, first, a hard-headed curiosity, a passion to explore and understand without misleading or being misled (Psychology, Myers 2004). Bringing a scientific method into practice requires not only skepticism but also humility, because we may have to reject our own ideas for the sake of our own research. Therein lies one of the first issues. It appears to me that most people are not willing to let go of their beliefs or theories to justify their findings.

A while ago I asked a "paranormal investigator" to present their evidence for review by peers. I was told that they would not as they "do not need to prove anything to me". I kindly explained that if they are claiming to have proof of the paranormal that they must present the evidence for peer review and they certainly do have something to prove to me and everyone else. Unfortunately, this argument resulted in this person getting angry for questioning them, leaving, and never contacting me again. This group still works and claims to gather evidence of the paranormal yet are not willing to have their work scrutinized or reviewed.  They are so certain on their own beliefs that the evidence they claim to have is genuine that they refuse to have any outside source possibly break down that belief. This is a continuing problem that exists in this field by many organizations.

So what is considered responsible and acceptable methodology in the paranormal research field? Honestly, it feels that most things are accepted and implored as possibilities, no matter how the data is collected. The argument that there is no right or wrong way to conduct an investigation is one that I do not agree with. I feel that depending on the nature of your investigation goals, there are most definitely right and wrong ways to conduct your investigation and research. To completely disregard an ethical and structured methodological protocol during an investigation feels negligent and pointless in terms of the investigation itself. What is the point of conducting an investigation if there is not going to be structure to it?

I believe that the paranormal research field cannot and will not conclusively prove any aspect of the paranormal with complete and 100% accuracy. the same that scientists can never prove such about the natural and physical world. All research is susceptible to error and must be treated as such. Errors can occur no matter how responsible a person is. Human fallibility can and does occur in science. The paranormal research field tends to be so concerned with their own beliefs that errors seem implausible, but the truth is, it is plausible and is rather abundant.  The responsible thing to do when an error is reported is to acknowledge that error and work to fix that error in your research. This is not always the case.

In another instance, a member of another organization came to a public forum asking questions about a  paranormal experience they had. They described their experiences but there was a lack of details about the surroundings. While debunking is not science, controlling and knowing your surroundings is essential as a researcher as it helps reduce outside variables. I pointed this out that it was near impossible to really help and offer any insight to what might have happened as there was a lack of data about the surroundings. This was an error on their research, not mine. However, I was quickly retaliated upon and told that I clearly do not believe in the possibility of the paranormal and I am close-minded and should believe that their experiences were paranormal, because they believed it to be so.

The paranormal research field needs to begin to look at itself and bring their standards of research to a whole new level...or six. This field will never be taken seriously or looked upon as legitimate if we continue to follow the same open investigation tactics and loose structure. Most of all, we will never be able to provide the possible answers of the very things we are trying to research.