Researching the Paranormal: How to Find Reliable Information about Parapsychology, Ghosts, Astrology, Cryptozoology, Near-Death Experiences, and M

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.

Courtney M. Block is the Reference, Instruction, and User Engagement Librarian at Indiana University Southeast. She is a member of the Institute for the Study of Religious and Anomalous Experience (ISRAE) and, throughout her various roles in libraries, has helped many people locate and research information about the paranormal. Recognizing that people are fascinated by the paranormal, she hopes that joining this interest with an assortment of credible research on these topics will help people become savvier researchers and connect them with the information they need.