Hello! New to this, got a lot of questions

Been lurking for about a month and finally made an account. I'm Sarah, from Bristol, and I've been interested in paranormal investigation for ages but never really had the confidence to engage with communities about it. Bit embarrassing saying "I think ghosts are real" to strangers, innit.

Background: I'm a scientist by training (chemistry, if that matters) so I'm coming at this from a pretty skeptical angle. Not a closed-minded skeptic, but I like evidence. I've had a couple of experiences I can't explain and I'm genuinely curious whether it's worth pursuing investigation as a hobby, or whether I'm just looking for patterns in noise.

I've read through the Getting Started sticky and looked at some equipment reviews. Main question: is it weird that I want to start with the "boring" stuff like statistical analysis of claims and data collection rather than jumping straight into ghost hunts with a spirit box? I feel like understanding baselines and methodology should come first but I'm not sure if that's standard.

Sorry for the long introduction - I get verbose when I'm nervous. Looking forward to chatting with you all!

Welcome! Your approach is actually spot on. Too many people buy equipment before understanding what they're looking for. Chemistry background is brilliant for this actually - you already understand null hypotheses and control groups. That's like 80% of what proper investigation is.

Don't apologize for being verbose - this forum needs more people who think methodically. Most of us come at paranormal investigation emotionally first and learn skepticism second. You're doing it backwards which is honestly better. Excited to see what you do here.

Not weird at all. There's a whole wing of paranormal research focused on actual data analysis rather than spooky stories. Have a look at the ASSAP (Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena) - they're UK-based and your approach would fit right in.

Chemistry degrees are genuinely useful for paranormal investigation - materials science, thermodynamics, electromagnetic theory. More useful than most people realize. If you want to start with data analysis, the "Sightings & Reports" forum is gold - loads of raw accounts to practice categorizing and analyzing for patterns.

Really refreshing to see someone come in with that attitude. Fair warning though: you might start out scientific and skeptical, then have an experience that shakes that perspective. Happened to lots of us. Just go in with open but critical mind and you'll be fine.

West Country represent! There's actually decent paranormal activity hotspots around Bristol - Blaise Castle area especially. Once you've got your methodology sorted, could be interesting to do some local investigations. Would be happy to help if you want.