88 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
88 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
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INSIDE UFOLOGY
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June 1988
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REFEREED JOURNAL A GIANT STEP FORWARD
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ParaNet Alpha 06/20 -- Between the furor over the Gulf Breeze case,
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the nebulous MJ-12 evidence, the death of Coral Lorenzen and the demise of
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APRO, UFOlogy needs some good news to bring to the MUFON Symposium in
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Lincoln this month.
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Now it appears it has some.
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According to Dr. Michael Swords, the Hynek Center for UFO Studies
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will soon be publishing UFOlogy's first refereed science journal.
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OK, so its not as exciting as the latest abduction tale, or as
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titillating as a John Lear hypothesis. But to those who advocate serious,
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scientific study of the UFO phenomenon, its a giant step forward. The
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Journal of UFO Studies, as it will be called, will contain articles
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submitted by experts in virtually every facet of the phenomenon, including
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psychology, sociology, astronomy, physics, and history. The articles will
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be screened by the Journal's Board of Editors, which, according to Swords,
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reads like a Who's Who of UFOlogy. Heading the board and editing the
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Journal will be Swords, himself a professor of genetics at Western
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Michigan State University and a board member of CUFOS -- one of UFOdom's
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heaviest hitters. After screening, each submission will undergo further
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review by a professional in the same field, "preferably," says Swords,
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"someone who has little or no previous connection with UFOs." The
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reviewer, or "referee," is free to comment on the scientific, logical or
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historical validity of the work, and if the work satisfies the basic
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requirements for publication, those comments are also published in the
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same or a subsequent issue of the Journal. The author can then answer the
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referee's comments, and so on. The result is an ongoing dialogue, framed
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in an objective, academic setting that most mainstream scientists would at
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least find palatable, if not downright credible.
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This system of "peer review" has been one of the missing elements
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separating scientific UFOlogy from the mainstream. Long accused of
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practicing "pseudo-science," UFOlogists have sought to improve their
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methods and bring them in line with the standards of other, more
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established sciences. One of those standards is the refereed publication.
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In the past, UFO researchers who were otherwise academically qualified
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would submit their works to the refereed journals of other disciplines,
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only to meet with almost universal rejection -- usually accompanied by a
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sneer. UFOlogy was, and for the most part still is, considered something
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of a poor cousin to Science with a capital "S". Its simply "unfit" for
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consideration by "real" scientists, we are told.
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That is beginning to change. While the release of the Condon Report
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in 1969 caused an exodus of news reporters to the cynical side, their
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departure has overshadowed a slow but steady trickle of mainstream
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scientists and academicians into the "believer" camp -- or more
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accurately, the "let's-take-an-objective-look" camp. But these
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professionals have been frustrated at the low standards of existing UFO
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investigation, research, analysis, and reportage. Combine this with the
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palpable sneering of their peers and the lack of a suitable outlet for
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their research findings, and its easy to see why many scientists keep a
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very low profile in the UFO community. Indeed, its almost certain that
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there are other interested scholars out there who could and would make a
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valuable contribution to the field, but stay away completely for fear of
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scarring their reputations.
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To such potential converts, the Journal of UFO Studies could
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represent a watershed, a new demarcation of safe ground. It could send a
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signal to the reluctant UFOlogist, saying, "It's alright, its safe to come
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in here. We're younger and bolder and we're groping in the dark, but we're
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just like the big boys." Swords claims to have already received favorable
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responses from several academics, otherwise unconnected with the UFO
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field, who have tentatively agreed to act as referees. Also, those who
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have written negatively about UFOs in the past will be contacted to pass
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judgement on submissions. Swords named as an example Dr. Robert Baker of
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the University of Kentucky, who wrote a scathing denunciation of the
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abduction syndrome for CSICOP. "As long as they are capable of keeping
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things objective and scholarly," says Swords, "their submissions are
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welcome." Swords did not comment on whether this included Phil Klass;
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however, presumably he does not qualify as a scientist or academic.
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Certainly his past writings have belied an inability to remain objective.
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Swords hopes to publish the Journal quarterly, but admits that may
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be unrealistic. "I think its more likely that it will wind up being semi-
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annual." However often it comes out, it may just be the best thing to
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happen to UFOlogy since Hynek's conversion.
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Its certainly the best news I'VE heard this year.
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--Jim Speiser
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