The Bigfoot Research Network Directives

The Bigfoot Research Network Directives

These directives are the key principles that the Network is based on. These directives define the attitude, goals, and directions that the Bigfoot Research Network will strive for. The following were selected to form an organization with the capacity to grow, evolve, and withstand scientific scrutiny.

1) Maintain objectiveness in Bigfoot research by following the principles of scientific methodology.

2) Retain the individualism of existing groups and primarily act as a catalyst to combine efforts, expertise, and resources.

3) Provide an organization that allows for the participation, education, and a head start for new researchers.

4) Increase the number of quality incident reports by promoting methods and organized efforts of obtaining them.

5) Network information is standardized, properly documented and shared by Network members.

6) Keep the witnesses informed of the research status and results, pertaining to their case.

7) Increase efficiency by organizing to prevent duplicated efforts, making information readily available, and keeping paperwork to a minimum.

8) Promoting expertise to maintain the members' and Network's reputation and use of a database
for accountability.

9) Separate fact from fiction of the Bigfoot phenomenon and it's various forms of evidence.

10) Keep the Network flexible to allow it to evolve as required to more effectively achieve the goals.

11) Promote responsibility among members to allow for operation with minimal supervision.

12) Provide the public and the media with accurate information on the subject.

13) Promote and develop organized group searches, methods, and modern technology to maximize the chances of obtaining usable evidence.

14) Concentrate research on smaller areas where the regional groups can be efficient and effective.

15) The emphasis is on proper documentation and follow-up activities that can lead to conclusions and discoveries about the creature, and not just obtaining incident reports alone.

Scientific Methodology Applied To Bigfoot Research

There are fundamental steps science uses to solve problems, called The Scientific Method. These steps have been used for centuries to solve problems and develop theories. The Scientific Method, which is found in most entry level science textbooks, is the proven technique science uses to develop new ideas and prove discoveries. Most of the world's current technological success is due to this process, and there is no reason it can't be applied to Bigfoot research as well. The Bigfoot Research Network will therefore follow these proven steps to find the solution to the Bigfoot mystery. Below are the basic steps of The Scientific Method, and how they relate to our form of research.

Step 1) Define the problem that needs to be solved.
            Here, our problem is defined as finding the solution to the Bigfoot phenomenon.

Step 2) Define the goals and plans used to solve the problem.
            The Bigfoot Research Network is formed to organize research efforts and direct planning
            to solve the problem. This is an on-going process.

Step 3) Search, Explore, and Gather Evidence.
            The Bigfoot Research Network promotes an organized group effort to obtain reports,
           search, explore, gather new evidence, and document the results.

Step 4) Generate creative and logical alternative solutions.
            Make enough follow-up observations to rule out all other possibilities, such as
            common animals, misidentifications, and hoaxes. Always seek alternative solutions even
            when the answer already seems clear. The most probable answer always takes precedence
            until the improbable can be substantiated.

Step 5) Evaluate the evidence.
            The Bigfoot Research Network maintains a database of all activities and reports in order to
            be able to scientifically analyze and evaluate information. Statistics can then be applied to
            find trends and relationships. The Bigfoot Research Network will also have potential
            evidence analyzed by multiple sources for definitive conclusions.

Step 6) Make an educated guess (hypothesis).
            When enough information and evidence is found, certain hypotheses are developed. For
             us, this statement may be that an actual Bigfoot exists or that a reason has been found to
             explain the phenomenon.

Step 7) Challenge the hypothesis.
            Bigfoot researchers have often taken this important step as a personal attack, and have
            therefore omitted it, thereby misleading themselves and others. The Bigfoot Research
            Network will invite all constructive criticism in order to learn and develop better
            hypotheses. If the hypotheses cannot withstand scrutiny, then they are flawed, and research
           will have to revert to a previous step and reevaluate, gather more evidence, and develop
            new hypotheses.

Step 8) Reach a conclusion or theory.
            The goal of any study is to find the correct solution based on all viable evidence. A theory is
            a hypothesis that has been thoroughly tested, challenged, and shows repeatability. Current
            Bigfoot research has not yet reached this important step.

Step 9) Suspend judgment.
            Even though a conclusion or theory has been reached, research must now keep an open
            mind to seek other solutions that may have led to other conclusions. This avoids a dead end
            conclusion that eventually conflicts with future discoveries. This is how science corrects
            errors.

Step 10) Take action to release the conclusion or theory.
              After all conclusions have been properly tested and challenged, then the information can be
              released in the form of reports, books, and press releases. Premature and faulty
              conclusions will otherwise always come back to haunt the perpetrators.