Experiment
Design
Protocol
Purpose:
In order
to test
specific
or
general
theories,
ideas,
or
reported
phenomena
the
Philadelphia
Area
Paranormal
Society
may
conduct
experimentation
during
the
course
of an
investigation
or over
several
investigations
depending
on the
nature
or
purpose
of the
experiment.
Materials:
Is
dependent
upon the
nature
of the
individual
experiment
and will
be
determined
at the
time the
experiment
is
written.
Methods:
-
1.
Decide
what
it
is
you
want
to
test
(what
is
your
goal
from
the
experiment)
For
example,
a
standard
experiment
might
be:
Do
we
get
better
quality
EVPs
when
we
only
have
one
person
talking?
-
2.
Decide
what
equipment
the
experiment
will
require.
In
the
above
example:
two
people,
one
digital
recorder
.
-
3.
Decide
on
whether
the
experiment
has
any
special
conditions.
For
example:
for
the
duration
of
this
experiment,
all
the
lights
need
to
be
out
and
the
AC
needs
to
be
off.
-
4.
Decide
on a
duration.
(from
minutes
to
the
course
of
several
investigations)
In
this
case,
no
less
than
30
minutes,
no
more
than
1
hour.
-
5.
Decide
on
any
special
protocols
for
the
experiment.
For
example,
during
this
experiment
no
one
but
the
questioner
will
speak.
The
questioner
will
read
from
a
prepared
list
of
questions.
-
6.
Decide
on
what
success
criteria
the
experiment
has.
For
example:
a
successful
EVP
should
appear
to
answer
one
of
the
questions,
or
make
a
clear
demand
of
the
investigators.
-
7.
Post
the
experiment
on
the
forum
so
it
can
be
worked
into
the
investigation
plan.
(Please
see
the
procedures
for
writing
experiments)
-
8.
On
the
night,
remind
everyone
that
it
is
taking
place
and
announce
it
clearly
for
any
locked
off
equipment
in
the
same
area
as
the
experiment
itself
Controls:
-
To
be
determined
according
to
the
nature
of
the
specific
experiment.
Data
Interpretation:
-
Experimental
data
collection/recording
will
be
dependent
upon
the
nature
of
the
experiment.
Specific
Experimental
data
will
be
discussed
on
it's
own
in
the
investigation
report
and
ongoing
experiments
will
have
a
dedicated
database
for
monitoring,
comparison
and
interpretation.
Procedure
for
Writing
Experiments
Write
an
Experiment
Once
you have
designed
your
experiment
you need
to
formally
present
it in a
protocol.
A
protocol
is
simply a
recipe,
or
written
design,
for
performing
the
experiment.
You
must
write a
protocol
to
insure
that you
have
both a
clear
idea of
how you
will do
the
experiment
and that
you will
have all
the
materials
that are
needed.
A
scientist
usually
writes
his/her
protocol
in a
laboratory
notebook.
Following
the
completion
of the
protocol,
the next
step in
the
scientific
process
is to
perform
the
experiment.
As the
investigation
takes
place,
observations
are made
and
results
are
recorded.
Components
of an
Experimental
Protocol
-
1.
Purpose:
This
is a
formal
statement
which
encompasses
your
hypothesis.
It
is a
statement
of
what
question
you
are
trying
to
answer
and
what
hypothesis
you
wish
to
test.
-
2.
Materials:
List
all
major
items
needed
to
carry
out
your
experiment.
This
list
need
not
be
lengthy
if
the
materials
are
already
published,
but
it
should
include
the
essentials.
-
3.
Methods:
How
will
you
set
up
your
experiment?
How
many
experimental
groups
will
you
have?
How
will
you
measure
the
effect
you
wish
to
study?
How
long
will
the
experiment
last?
These
and
any
other
methods
should
be
explicitly
stated
or
referenced
so
that
a
reader
has
all
the
information
they
need
to
know
to
be
able
to
repeat
your
experiment
and
verify
your
results.
-
4.
Controls:
Identify
the
relevant
control(s)
treatment.
Think
about
the
variable(s)
you
and
your
group
are
manipulating.
Your
control
needs
to
be
held
under
natural,
or
un-manipulated
conditions,
not
affected
by
the
tested
variable.
-
5.
Data
Interpretation:
What
will
be
done
with
the
data
once
it
is
collected?
Data
must
be
organized
and
summarized
so
that
the
scientist
himself,
and
other
researchers
can
determine
if
the
hypothesis
has
been
supported
or
negated.
Results
are
usually
shown
in
tables
and
graphs
(figures).
Statistic
analyses
are
often
made
to
compare
experimented
and
controlled
populations.
-
6.
References:
Any
published
works
(journals,
books,
websites)
that
you
cite
in
your
protocol
should
be
listed
in
the
reference
section
so
that
anyone
reading
your
protocol
can
look
that
work
up
if
they
desire.
Putting
this all
together,
the
scientist
will be
able to
write a
scientific
paper
once
his/ her
data is
collected.
Remember
do not
write
"fluff,"
i.e.,
extraneous
information
and/or
overly
descriptive
text
that is
not
relevant
to the
experiment.
The
reader
of a
protocol
is
interested
in being
informed
concisely
and
accurately!
ref:
http://www2.lv.psu.edu/jxm57/irp/prot.htm
