Journal of Scientific Exploration
Encyclopedia
The Journal of Scientific Exploration is a quarterly scientific journal
of fringe science
published by the Society for Scientific Exploration
that was established in 1987. According to its mission statement, the journal provides a forum for research on topics "outside the established disciplines of mainstream science." However, due to its scope of examining anomalies
, fringe science
, protoscience
, and other controversial topics, the editors of the journal acknowledge that the periodical "publishes claimed observations and proffered explanations that will seem more speculative or less plausible than in some mainstream disciplinary journals. Nevertheless, those observations and explanations must conform to rigorous standards of observational techniques and logical argument."
Responding in part to opinion survey
results indicating that many mainstream scientists were interested in reasoned examination and debate about unidentified flying object
s, the journal was initially established to provide a forum for three main fields that had largely been neglected by mainstream science: ufology
, cryptozoology
, and parapsychology
. It has also published research articles, essays, and book reviews on many other topics, including the philosophy of science
, pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact
, alternative medicine
, the process of peer review
for controversial topics, astrology
, consciousness
, reincarnation
, minority opinion scientific theories, and paranormal phenomena
.
and Martha Sims, respectively past editor-in-chief and past executive director, describe the Journal of Scientific Exploration as a "peer-reviewed
journal following the customs and standards of academic journal
s but designed specifically for the scholarly study of anomalies
". If an article or essay paper is accepted "but there remain points of disagreement between authors and referee(s), the reviewer(s) may be given the option of having their opinion(s) published "subject to the Editor-in-Chief's judgment as to length, wording, and the like". The policy of the journal is to maintain a critical view by presenting both sides of an argument so as not to advocate for or against any of the published topics.
The Journal of Scientific Exploration publishes letters or commentary which dispute or critique articles, and also typically allows authors to publish rejoinders.
Former editor-in-chief Henry Bauer
has asserted that the journal's contributors are largely "indistinguishable from people of the mainstream except in their enthusiasm for one pet unorthodoxy." He contrasts this with a layperson's interest in anomalous phenomena, which is typically "omnivorous".
, an indexing service for leading scientific journals.
Of the Society for Scientific Exploration and Journal of Scientific Exploration, journalist Michael Lemonick
writes, "Pretty much anything that might have shown up on The X-Files
or in the National Enquirer shows up first here. But what also shows up is a surprising attitude of skepticism
."
Kendrick Frazier
, editor of Skeptical Inquirer
and Committee for Skeptical Inquiry fellow has suggested that:
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
of fringe science
Fringe science
Fringe science is scientific inquiry in an established field of study that departs significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories, and is classified in the "fringes" of a credible mainstream academic discipline....
published by the Society for Scientific Exploration
Society for Scientific Exploration
The Society for Scientific Exploration, or SSE, is a professional organization of scientists and other scholars committed to studying unusual and unexplained phenomena that cross traditional scientific boundaries and may be ignored or inadequately studied within mainstream science...
that was established in 1987. According to its mission statement, the journal provides a forum for research on topics "outside the established disciplines of mainstream science." However, due to its scope of examining anomalies
Charles Fort
Charles Hoy Fort was an American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena. Today, the terms Fortean and Forteana are used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold well and are still in print today.-Biography:Charles Hoy Fort was born in 1874 in Albany, New York, of Dutch...
, fringe science
Fringe science
Fringe science is scientific inquiry in an established field of study that departs significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories, and is classified in the "fringes" of a credible mainstream academic discipline....
, protoscience
Protoscience
In the philosophy of science, a protoscience is an area of scientific endeavor that is in the process of becoming established. Protoscience is distinguished from pseudoscience by its standard practices of good science, such as a willingness to be disproven by new evidence, or to be replaced by a...
, and other controversial topics, the editors of the journal acknowledge that the periodical "publishes claimed observations and proffered explanations that will seem more speculative or less plausible than in some mainstream disciplinary journals. Nevertheless, those observations and explanations must conform to rigorous standards of observational techniques and logical argument."
Topics and policies
The journal's website describes the publication's purpose as providing "a professional forum for presentations, criticism, and debate concerning topics which are for various reasons ignored or studied inadequately within mainstream science", and describes the Journal as a "critical forum of rationality and observational evidence for the often strange claims at the fringes of science."Responding in part to opinion survey
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
results indicating that many mainstream scientists were interested in reasoned examination and debate about unidentified flying object
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
s, the journal was initially established to provide a forum for three main fields that had largely been neglected by mainstream science: ufology
Ufology
Ufology is a neologism coined to describe the collective efforts of those who study reports and associated evidence of unidentified flying objects . UFOs have been subject to various investigations over the years by governments, independent groups, and scientists...
, cryptozoology
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
, and parapsychology
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
. It has also published research articles, essays, and book reviews on many other topics, including the philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
, pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact
Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact
Theories of Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact are those theories that propose interaction between indigenous peoples of the Americas who settled the Americas before 10,000 BC, and peoples of other continents , which occurred before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean in 1492.Many...
, alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
, the process of peer review
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
for controversial topics, astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
, reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
, minority opinion scientific theories, and paranormal phenomena
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
.
Refereeing
Bernard HaischBernard Haisch
Bernard Haisch is a German-born American astrophysicist who has done research in solar-stellar astrophysics and stochastic electrodynamics. He has developed with Alfonso Rueda a speculative theory that the non-zero lowest energy state of the vacuum, as predicted by quantum mechanics, might provide...
and Martha Sims, respectively past editor-in-chief and past executive director, describe the Journal of Scientific Exploration as a "peer-reviewed
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
journal following the customs and standards of academic journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
s but designed specifically for the scholarly study of anomalies
Anomalistics
Anomalistics is the use of scientific methods to evaluate anomalies , with the aim of finding a rational explanation. The term itself was coined in 1973 by Drew University anthropologist Roger W...
". If an article or essay paper is accepted "but there remain points of disagreement between authors and referee(s), the reviewer(s) may be given the option of having their opinion(s) published "subject to the Editor-in-Chief's judgment as to length, wording, and the like". The policy of the journal is to maintain a critical view by presenting both sides of an argument so as not to advocate for or against any of the published topics.
The Journal of Scientific Exploration publishes letters or commentary which dispute or critique articles, and also typically allows authors to publish rejoinders.
Former editor-in-chief Henry Bauer
Henry Bauer
Henry H. Bauer is an emeritus professor of chemistry and science studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University . He is the author of several books and articles on such topics as the Loch Ness Monster and Immanuel Velikovsky, and is an AIDS denialist...
has asserted that the journal's contributors are largely "indistinguishable from people of the mainstream except in their enthusiasm for one pet unorthodoxy." He contrasts this with a layperson's interest in anomalous phenomena, which is typically "omnivorous".
Academic reception
Some observers regard the Journal of Scientific Exploration as a legitimate attempt to explore the frontiers of science, while others view it as a forum for scientifically objectionable or dubious ideas. Some academics have noted that the journal publishes on anomalous issues, topics often on the fringe of science. The journal is not indexed in Web of ScienceWeb of Science
ISI Web of Knowledge is an academic citation indexing and search service, which is combined with web linking and provided by Thomson Reuters. Web of Knowledge coverage encompasses the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. It provides bibliographic content and the tools to access, analyze,...
, an indexing service for leading scientific journals.
Of the Society for Scientific Exploration and Journal of Scientific Exploration, journalist Michael Lemonick
Michael Lemonick
Michael Lemonick is the senior staff writer at Climate Central and a former senior science writer at Time magazine. He has also written for Discover magazine, Yale Environment 360, Scientific American, and others, and has written a number of popular-level books on science and astrophysics,...
writes, "Pretty much anything that might have shown up on The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
or in the National Enquirer shows up first here. But what also shows up is a surprising attitude of skepticism
Scientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
."
Kendrick Frazier
Kendrick Frazier
Kendrick Frazier is a science writer and editor. He was the editor of Science News for several years. Since 1977 he has been the editor of Skeptical Inquirer, the journal published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry [CSI. He is a member of the executive council of CSI, an international...
, editor of Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
and Committee for Skeptical Inquiry fellow has suggested that:
- "The JSE, while presented as neutral and objective, appears to hold a hidden agenda. They seem to be interested in promoting fringe topics as real mysteries and they tend to ignore most evidence to the contrary. They publish 'scholarly' articles promoting the reality of dowsingDowsingDowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil, gravesites, and many other objects and materials, as well as so-called currents of earth radiation , without the use of scientific apparatus...
, neo-astrologyAstrologyAstrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, ESP, and psychokinesisPsychokinesisThe term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
. Most of the prominent and active members are strong believers in the reality of such phenomena."
Editors-in-chief
Past editors-in-chief have been:- Ronald A. HowardRonald A. HowardRonald A. Howard has been a professor at Stanford University since 1965. In 1964 he defined the profession of decision analysis, and since then has been developing the field as professor in the Department of Engineering-Economic Systems in the School of Engineering at Stanford.Howard directs...
(management scienceOperations researchOperations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
, Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
), founding editor-in-chief, 1987-1988 - Bernard HaischBernard HaischBernard Haisch is a German-born American astrophysicist who has done research in solar-stellar astrophysics and stochastic electrodynamics. He has developed with Alfonso Rueda a speculative theory that the non-zero lowest energy state of the vacuum, as predicted by quantum mechanics, might provide...
(astrophysicsAstrophysicsAstrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
), 1988-1999 - Henry H. Bauer (Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University), 1999-2008
- Peter A. SturrockPeter A. SturrockPeter Andrew Sturrock is a British scientist.An emeritus professor of applied physics at Stanford University, much of Sturrock's career has been devoted to astrophysics, plasma physics, and solar physics, but Sturrock is interested in other fields, including ufology, scientific inference and in...
(Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
), 2008-2008. - Stephen E. BraudeStephen E. BraudeStephen E. Braude is an American philosopher and parapsychologist. He is a past president of the Parapsychological Association, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Scientific Exploration, and a professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is also an accomplished jazz...
(University of Maryland Baltimore CountyUniversity of Maryland Baltimore CountyThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County is an American honors public research university, located in Baltimore County, Maryland, mostly in the community of Catonsville, Maryland...
) 2008-present