Question design
Define the observation, frame a falsifiable research question and state plausible conventional and alternative explanations before fieldwork begins.
Research framework / methods / integrityProtocol · 1.0
A claim becomes useful
when it can be tested.
Research positionWe investigate difficult questions by making assumptions, methods, evidence classes and uncertainty visible from the beginning.
Institutional scopeRead before use
Independent by structure.
Accountable by method.
Global Anthropology Society is an independent field-research and education initiative in development. It is not a degree-granting institution, government agency, excavation authority or substitute for formal peer review.
Our objective is to produce field briefs, documented observations and research-ready datasets that qualified specialists can inspect, challenge and extend.
Operational workflowQuestion → record
Six gates between
curiosity and conclusion.
No single instrument, image or expert opinion closes a question. Each project advances through explicit research and quality-control gates.
Source & provenance audit
Trace documents, datasets, images and material claims to their earliest available context; record gaps, transformations and conflicts.
Survey design
Select the least destructive method capable of testing the question. Establish controls, coordinate systems, calibration requirements and decision thresholds.
Field acquisition
Capture instrument settings, environmental conditions, operator notes, spatial control and chain-of-custody records alongside the observations.
Analysis & triangulation
Compare independent lines of evidence, preserve negative results and test whether ordinary geological, cultural or measurement processes explain the signal.
Reporting & review
Separate observation from interpretation, quantify uncertainty where possible and publish limitations, counter-evidence and revision history.
Research in contextLandscape → signal → interpretation
Method familiesNon-invasive first
Computational & archival analysis
Document extraction · entity resolution · geospatial correlation · image comparison
Research use
Organize large, fragmented source collections and identify relationships worth expert examination.
Interpretive limit
Model output is a lead, not a finding. Hallucination, source bias and duplicate provenance require human review.
Earth-systems reconstruction
Paleohydrology · geomorphology · stratigraphy · sedimentary context
Research use
Reconstruct landscape formation, water history, burial processes and the sequence of environmental change.
Interpretive limit
Landscape analogies do not establish age or human association without independent chronological and contextual evidence.
Remote & subsurface sensing
LiDAR · photogrammetry · GPR · magnetometry · electrical resistivity
Research use
Map surface form and subsurface contrasts without disturbing archaeological or geologic contexts.
Interpretive limit
Geophysical anomalies are contrasts in physical properties, not automatic evidence of structures, artifacts or human activity.
Spectral & materials screening
Multispectral imaging · hyperspectral imaging · field spectroscopy · microscopy
Research use
Document non-visible response, surface composition and material heterogeneity for targeted follow-up.
Interpretive limit
Field screening supports classification and sampling decisions; definitive composition or dating may require accredited laboratory analysis.
Evidence classificationE1—E5
Confidence is a label,
not a mood.
Classification describes the present state of support. It can move in either direction as provenance, replication and counter-evidence change.
Documented observation
A primary observation with location, time, instrument or source context and an identifiable custodian.
Reproducible analysis
Inputs and method are sufficiently described for a qualified reviewer to repeat or audit the work.
Supported interpretation
Multiple lines of evidence favor an explanation, with viable alternatives and uncertainty stated.
Contested interpretation
Evidence is real but its meaning, chronology or association remains unresolved.
Unverified claim
Provenance, context or independent support is presently insufficient for a research conclusion.
Working dossier / 01
Open quantitative claim lab ↗Great Pyramid geometry, Earth-scale claims, true north, precession and the megalithic yard.
See the arithmetic, the source record, the counter-reading and the evidence threshold for each claim.
Field & data integrityMinimum standard
Stewardship before spectacle
A result is only as credible as its record.
- 01Acquisition logs, calibration records and coordinate reference systems travel with field data.
- 02Original files are retained; analytical derivatives are versioned and transformations are documented.
- 03Negative results and counter-hypotheses remain part of the project record.
- 04Sensitive coordinates, sacred places and vulnerable sites are generalized or withheld.
- 05Permits, land access, conservation rules and relevant community or Indigenous protocols govern field activity.
- 06Specialist, laboratory and chronological claims identify the responsible method and level of review.
Next field cycle
Review expeditions ↗