In parapsychology, case logs can be just as important as research logs, as they help with identifying "normal" causes from "paranormal" causes. Parapsychology is not an exact science, but one mostly based on statistics gained from a series of specifically designed tests. The test results are compared with a chart of averages to determine the likelihood of psychic ability or activities resulting from something beyond the parameters of scientific explanation.
The media has popularized (and in some cases demonized) paranormal events, i.e. events that have occurred that cannot be immediately explained. When such an event is documented, investigators can usually step in to separate the facts as seen by eyewitnesses to the fiction often recorded by the media.