Promoting consistent, transparent paranormal research that can withstand scrutiny.
The Institute of Ghost Science exists to help the paranormal community approach anomalous experiences with greater rigor, consistency, and transparency. By developing shared standards, research methods, and tools for evidence collection and analysis, the Institute aims to help this research earn greater credibility with scientists and society alike.
Three guiding principles.
Rigor
We apply the same standards of evidence to anomalous phenomena that any serious inquiry requires. Reports may be interesting or personally meaningful, but if they cannot be analyzed clearly or withstand scrutiny, they cannot support research conclusions. Evidence that can be explained through ordinary means, however compelling, should not be used to support paranormal claims.
Neutrality
We neither assume paranormal explanations are correct nor dismiss them in advance. Our starting position is uncertainty. The purpose of the inquiry is to evaluate evidence carefully, avoid premature conclusions, and follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Standardization
Compared with established fields of study, paranormal research lacks widely accepted terminology, methods, and standards for evaluating evidence. The Institute works to promote shared standards so that investigations can be documented consistently, compared across cases, and built upon over time.
Notes from the Institute.
Personal Reasons Why
A personal account from the founder: growing up around unexplained events, trying to rule out ordinary causes, and the incident that made the question impossible to ignore.
Read moreFirst Steps
Before we can study anything unusual, we have to subtract what can be explained. This piece lays out the Institute's first standard: begin by removing weak evidence.
Read moreComing Soon
A look at the practical work ahead: clearer terminology, better evidence standards, and a more useful way to compare reports across cases.
Read more