Documenting & Reviewing Evidence
The most exciting moment of an investigation can become useless if no one wrote down when and where it happened. Careful documentation turns scattered moments into evidence you can actually review.
Before the investigation
Start a case file for every investigation. It should include:
The client interview: what they've experienced, when, where, and who was present
The signed permission agreement
A floor plan or simple sketch of the property, with rooms labeled
Notes from your daylight walk-through, including hazards and possible natural causes
The team roster and pairings
Synchronize everything. Before you begin, set every camera, recorder, and phone to the same correct date and time. Some teams also clap or say "sync" on camera and audio at the start so files can be lined up later. When devices disagree about the time, matching an EVP to something on video becomes guesswork.
Baseline readings. At the start of the night, record baseline conditions in every room:
Temperature
EMF readings
Weather outside (wind, temperature, storms)
Lights, appliances, and HVAC that are on or off
Baseline photos of each room
During the investigation
Keep a running log. Each pair should have one person responsible for notes. Every entry should include:
Time (use the synced time)
Location (room and spot)
Who was present
What happened, described plainly
Conditions (lights on/off, equipment running, noises nearby)
A good log entry sounds like this: "10:42 PM — upstairs back bedroom. Sam and Chris present. Heard two knocks from closet area. Furnace was running. Checked closet — no visible cause. Recorder 2 running."
Notice what it doesn't say: "A spirit knocked twice." Write what you observed, not what you think it means.
Log your equipment. Note where each camera and recorder is placed, when it was started and stopped, and any problems such as dead batteries or memory cards filling up.
After the investigation
Label every file clearly: date, location, device, and room.
Back up all files in at least two places the same night or the next day.
Never edit original files. Make copies for review and clips.
Store everything securely and confidentially, as covered in Chapter 1.
Good records may feel tedious, but they're what make your findings believable. They let anyone on your team retrace exactly what happened — and they let a family trust that your conclusions came from careful work.