CPI CPI Case Documentation & Reporting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the correct approach when a client requests that investigation findings remain confidential?
- Share findings publicly anyway for community benefit
- Honor the confidentiality agreement and obtain written consent before any disclosure (Correct answer)
- Anonymize the location but publish all evidence
- Discuss findings only within your investigation team without a formal agreement
Correct answer: Honor the confidentiality agreement and obtain written consent before any disclosure
Investigators must honor signed confidentiality agreements and obtain explicit written consent from clients before disclosing any case details publicly.
Question 2: Which type of evidence should be labeled with GPS coordinates or exact room location in the case file?
- Only audio evidence
- All physical, photographic, and digital evidence collected during the investigation (Correct answer)
- Only evidence captured after midnight
- Only evidence reviewed by the lead investigator
Correct answer: All physical, photographic, and digital evidence collected during the investigation
Every piece of evidence should be labeled with its precise capture location so findings can be accurately contextualized and independently verified.
Question 3: What is the purpose of including a 'methodology' section in a paranormal investigation report?
- To list the team's personal beliefs
- To describe the techniques, equipment, and protocols used so findings can be evaluated and replicated (Correct answer)
- To explain the client's backstory in detail
- To list all locations visited by the team
Correct answer: To describe the techniques, equipment, and protocols used so findings can be evaluated and replicated
The methodology section documents all techniques, equipment settings, and protocols so that the investigation's scientific rigor can be evaluated and results potentially replicated.
Question 4: When should an investigator update a case file after the initial investigation visit?
- Never — the file is finalized after the first visit
- Whenever new evidence is analyzed, follow-up visits occur, or client feedback is received (Correct answer)
- Only if the client pays for additional reporting
- Only when submitting to a paranormal database
Correct answer: Whenever new evidence is analyzed, follow-up visits occur, or client feedback is received
Case files are living documents that should be updated with any new evidence analysis, follow-up visit data, or significant client communications to ensure accuracy.
Question 5: What is the recommended format for organizing digital evidence files for a case?
- Store everything in a single folder with no subfolders
- Use a structured folder hierarchy by case ID, date, evidence type, and investigator (Correct answer)
- Name files with random numbers to preserve anonymity
- Save only final clips, delete raw files
Correct answer: Use a structured folder hierarchy by case ID, date, evidence type, and investigator
A structured folder hierarchy by case ID, date, and evidence type ensures files are easily located, shared with the team, and archived systematically.
Question 6: When writing conclusions in a CPI report, which phrasing is most appropriate?
- 'This location is definitively haunted by multiple entities.'
- 'No investigation is needed; the client is imagining things.'
- 'Evidence collected is consistent with anomalous activity; natural explanations have been considered and noted.' (Correct answer)
- 'We found nothing and the client should move out.'
Correct answer: 'Evidence collected is consistent with anomalous activity; natural explanations have been considered and noted.'
Professional conclusions should state that evidence is consistent with anomalous activity while acknowledging that considered natural explanations were also evaluated, avoiding absolute claims.
CPI CPI Case Documentation & Reporting 2
What is the correct approach when a client requests that investigation findings remain confidential?