Researching the Paranormal

How to Find Reliable Information about Parapsychology, Ghosts, Astrology, Cryptozoology, Near-Death Experiences, and More

Courtney M. Block

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN:
  9781538131459
• Edition: 1

The paranormal has long been a hotly contested topic, especially in academia. Most people are entertained by the paranormal or casually read a few books they come across on the topic, perhaps assuming that these topics are nothing more than campfire fodder. Of course, there's nothing wrong with being entertained by the paranormal, but how many people know that there is a long history of academic, scientific, and credible research into topics such as extrasensory perception, hauntings, poltergeists, cryptozoological sightings, near-death experiences, and more?


In Researching the Paranormal, Courtney M. Block provides an overview of paranormal research and introduces readers to an assortment of resources that seriously examine various paranormal topics. She shows readers how to think critically about paranormal sources and how to apply the components of credibility when conducting their own paranormal investigations. Highlighting the long history of serious, academic inquiry into various paranormal topics, Block provides citations to primary source documents, journal articles, helpful databases, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and books. In addition, she provides a historical overview of various paranormal phenomena such as parapsychology, cryptozoology, ufology, divination, ghosts, hauntings, and more.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• What Is the Paranormal?
• History of Paranormal Research and Seminal Figures
• Best Practices in Conducting and Gathering Paranormal Research
• Analyzing for Credibility in Paranormal Research
• Universities, Professional Organizations, Associations, and Societies Engaged in Paranormal Research
• Primary Sources, Paranormal Museums, and Special Collections across the United States
• Handbooks, Dictionaries, and Encyclopedias
• Monographs
• Journals and Databases for Finding Paranormal Resources, with a Selection of Relevant Journal Articles
• The UK’s Intimate History with the Paranormal
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author