INVESTIGATIONS

So many extraordinary claims, not enough Skeptic Detectives!

False claims can work to confuse people about what is real and possible and they can be used to take advantage of the gullible and misinformed. They can stear our species towards a future ripe with nonsense and unable to cope with what life throws our way. For these reasons and more, we are in search of skeptic detectives to help investigate and explore the many claims and beliefs that are circulating in our marketplace of ideas and to help provide information and analysis that people can turn to and rely upon when trying to understand and make sense of the claims and phenomena they encounter.

Here we will be compiling material on investigations that have been conducted on previously unexplained phenomena. We will also begin collecting resources for individuals interested in doing their own investigating - both here in cyberspace and out there in the real world.

To help evaluate unusual claims and bizarre phenomena, a Skeptic Detective's Handbook is being created for different age levels. The Handbook will provide worthwhile guidelines for young investigators to navigate through reality and gain valuable practice and experience for future explorations within the "mysterious unknown."

CSICOP's Senior Research Fellow, Joe Nickell, travels the world in search of extraordinary claims and conducts investigations to help explain the odd and unusual occurrences that are taking place around the globe. Here you can read about the results of Joe's detective work on a number of bizarre cases from the paranormal realms. You may also find a few helpful hints on how to conduct your own investigations.

Skeptics from across the country have been investigating paranormal claims for decades. Many of their reports are available online and can help provide reference material for your own investigations. Although each claim is different and will need an independent evaluation, similar cases may offer useful information and alternative explanations that are worthwhile considering.

Here we will be compiling resources that are available online and can provide activity for armchair investigations. By exploring the available viewpoints that are housed in cyberspace, some light can be shed upon the many claims and unusual happenings that are said to have taken place at one time or another in history. Careful evaluation and recording, with the help of a skeptic detective's handbook, will provide great practice and experience for future investigators.

The Online Investigations Area will be the home for CSICOP's "Tame the Wilds of Cyberspace" Project. We will be including activities for all ages. Together we will explore the jungles, chart new territory and attempt to make sense of the information being hurled around in our virtual world. Our goal is to minimize confusion and reach understanding, providing a useful guide to assessing the information we encounter and distinguishing between valid and kooky ideas.