Co-author of UFO Study ROBERT MOORE explains the methods and some of the pitfalls of getting involved in the search for an explanation

to those strange lights in the sky.

will also have done some basic background reading in astronomy, aviation, meteorology and psychology. A formidable list to be sure, but these skills will help you become a good UFO investigator;

who wants to be a bad one?

Anyone starting out needs to decide whether to join an existing UFO group, start a new one or work as an independent researcher. While joining national and regional bodies theoretically provides a pool of experience and technical contacts, it also entails obligations and demands on your time, sometimes in tasks unrelated to UFO investigation.

Group-based ufology is also associated with various subject-related rivalries. These negative factors result in many UFO researchers choosing to work independently – an easier option today than in the past, thanks to the Internet. Most importantly, you should conduct as much background reading as possible and adopt a critical – but not dismissive – approach towards each report you encounter.

Basic UFO investigation only requires everyday items such as stationery, a magnetic compass, a scientiﬁc calculator and an accurate waterproof timepiece with stopwatch capabilities. Other useful items include an interview checklist or UFO report form (see Appendices A–C of UFO Study), a good colour chart, 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scale maps of the sighting area, a digital camera and a voice-recording device (make sure you get the witness’s permission before photographing or recording them). These can be supplemented by other items, such as a handheld GPS, and a Perspex sheet and marker pen for the witness to hold at arm’s length and draw the UFO’s observed size. Experienced investigators would also include various hand tools, sampling bags and basic protective equipment for physical trace recovery work. Essential “back ofﬁce”

items include a computer with an Internet connection, a good astronomy computer program and

an aircraft air corridor map.

The act of UFO investigation involves ﬁnding reports, then documenting said reports accurately and with sufﬁcient technical detail to facilitate an objective assessment. If the case is complex or can’t be explained through matching the sighting’s described attributes to likely IFO candidates, a more complete investigation will be required.

This often involves writing letters or emails to relevant agencies requesting data such as aircraft movements, or even making a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

request to a relevant government body. Unfortunately, some of this can be quite expensive, with most agencies now asking for substantial search fees to provide such data. Requesting specialist help such as photographic or soil trace analysis can be even more expensive. The key to avoiding this is ﬁnding qualiﬁed individuals interested in ufology willing to waive some or all of these costs.

So why should you do such a demanding, unpaid job in the ﬁrst place? UFO investigators are looking for cases that advance our understanding of UFOs.

This may involve something as prosaic as explaining an IFO event, which will then help solve other similar cases. But most UFO investigators seek cases that, despite undergoing thorough investigation, remain unexplained.

A true understanding of ufology will only result from such events, and only well investigated reports will allow us to determine whether these unexplained cases involve extraterrestrial visitors, something else equally unusual, or more down-to-earth phenomena. And it could be you who makes such a breakthrough!

ORGANISATIONS AND GROUPS

The J Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) Founded in 1973, CUFOS publishes the quarterly International UFO Reporter, the annual, refereed, Journal of UFO Studies, and the occasional monograph and book. Friends of CUFOS, known as Associates, support CUFOS with their subscriptions to IUFOR.

2457 W Peterson, Chicago, IL 60659, USA Web: www.cufos.org/

Tel: +001 773 271 3611 Email: [email protected] Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) Established in 1969, MUFON now has more than 3,000 members, ﬁeld investigators and research consultants worldwide.

It publishes the monthly MUFON UFO Journal (Dwight Connelly, ed.) and an annual collection of Symposium Proceedings.

Membership dues of $45 per year ($55 outside US) include a subscription to the Journal.

155 E. Boardwalk Dr. Suite 300, Fort Collins, CO 80525, USA Web: www.mufon.com/

Tel: +001 888 817 2220 Email: [email protected]

Fund for UFO Research (FUFOR) Established as a non-proﬁt corporation in 1979, FUFOR is not a membership organisation per se.

Instead, it raises and disperses research funds for proposals approved by a national board.

Each year, the Fund also awards a cash prize, the Donald E Keyhoe Journalism Award, to both the print and electronic media journalist whose work about UFOs is judged the best among those submitted.

The Fund for UFO Research, Inc.

PO Box 7501, Alexandria, VA 22307, USA

Web: www.fufor.com/

Email: [email protected]

British UFO Research Association (BUFORA)

BUFORA is a scientiﬁcally-oriented, organisation dedicated to the investigation and research of the UFO enigma and related anomalies. To gain greater understanding of the complexities of the UFO question, BUFORA employs the skills and services of ﬁeld investigators, researchers and consultants, many working directly with witnesses to collate the necessary data.

BUFORA, c/o 41 Castlebar Road, Ealing, London W5 2DJ, UK Web: www.bufora.org.uk Tel: 020 8997 3496 (evenings & weekends only) Email: [email protected] UK-UFO.org

Ufologyinuk Community Forum & Email List The only mail-list focused exclusively on UK ufology.

Contributors include some of the most active researchers and best-known authors from the UK.

Web: www.uk-ufo.org/

ufologyinuk/

Archives For UFO Research Founded in Sweden in 1973, the AFU archives is one of the most complete repositories for UFO data & UFO folklore with a massive collection of research materials

PO Box 11027, S-600 11 Norrkoping, Sweden

Resource on the birth of ufology www.project1947.com/

UFOPop

Flying saucers in Popular Culture www.ufopop.org/

UFO Updates Newsgroup Subscription newsgroup www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/

updates/

UK-UFO

UFO matters within the UK www.uk-ufo.org/

UFO Mystic

Ufological/strangeness blog by Nick Redfern and Greg Bishop www.ufomystic.com Intruders Foundation

Bud Hopkins’ Abduction Research Organisation

www.intrudersfoundation.org/

National UFO Reporting Center (USA)

Up-to-date database of UFO reports

www.nuforc.org/

National UFO Center: Filer’s Research Institute

George Filer’s weekly round-up of UFO reports from around the world www.nationalufocenter.com/

UFO Evidence

Useful resource for news, articles, research and photos

www.ufoevidence.org/

In document Paranormal Handbook 2013 [PDF] (Page 58-62)

Co-author of UFO Study ROBERT MOORE explains the methods and some of the pitfalls of getting involved in the search for an explanation

to those strange lights in the sky.

DIRECTORY

SUGGESTED READING

ORGANISATIONS AND GROUPS