Field work. This is the moment you have been waiting for, well, there are still many more things to consider before you venture off as well as things you need to concentrate on as you are there.
Before venturing out decide if there is enough data to determine that a visit is absolutely necessary (unless you're going to a graveyard or heading out on a "field trip" type ghost hunting outing). After getting permission to visit go over the details of what you and your group will do (day visit, follow up visit - possibly at night). Make sure you have taken as much information as possible from anyone you have contacted and have studied it well. Find out if anyone besides you or your group has been contacted (priest, police, press) and ask them what their feelings are about the situation. If the press was called (which may show their motivations) be extremely careful! The best advice I can give you on dealing with the press (if you can't outright avoid them) is to not jump to conclusions about anything. You never want to tell them (or let the owner of the property say) you're investigating a ghost and you're a ghost hunter. The best thing you can say is that you are "looking into a matter for (person) who is unable to determine the cause at the moment, with my perspective I hope to help determine that cause. We will be happy to contact you if there is anything worthy of reporting".
The first visit must be during the day (especially if it is outdoor)or when it's most convenient to the owner of the property. It's a good idea to have one person of your group unaware of what exactly is happening at the site. This person will not be fully open to suggestion and can be a reliable source of "feeling" around the site. You can arrange for the witnesses to be there if you have not previously spoken with them. If they are there, make sure if you interview them you do so separately.
Be sure to create a written format and time frame for the investigation, of course this will be particular with each case. The outline that you will follow for that case should be shared with the owner of the property. This will give you and the owner confidence of the situation.
Once you have gathered your information, if you haven't solved the problem already, leave the area and study your information the following day. Let the person know that you will be in contact with them after you have reviewed your findings. Look at everything forward and backward. Write a list of questions you come up with. Formulate a hypothesis on what you think the problem could be. Then, when you are on site again pursue your findings and search for the resolution that the owner seeks. Remember to take as many notes as possible. The notes should be organized daily and kept in a journal format. Information of time, date, weather, investigators, who interviews who, the interviewees, everything should be written down.
Don't forget that graveyards are not the only area you will find activity. The living (and their connection with the dead) have more to do with ghosts than you might think. Graveyards have confused what we are studying, along with cameras that give us a perception that few have studied in detail. Don't hide behind the camera. I use the old question, "If a tree falls in the forest, and no one was around to hear it, does it make a sound?". Related with the ghost world you could ask, "If you photograph something you think is a ghost, will you find the answer of its existence in the picture, or in the field that you took the photo?". You "think" a tree makes a sound when it falls, but can you be sure if you're not there? You "think" that it could be a ghost in the picture, but can you prove it if you're not willing to investigate it properly?
* Some info from this page provided by "E.S.P., Hauntings and Poltergeists", by Loyd Auerbach.
Art and Science of the Investigation
