Security Notice

2024 Institutional Review — Restricted Distribution

Statement from the Director

In 2024, the Institute for Projective Sciences initiated a comprehensive review of its stimulus materials, validation procedures, ethical frameworks, and governance structures. The review was prompted by concerns raised regarding a specific item held in the Institute’s archival collection. The concerns were substantive and warranted a full institutional response.

That review has now concluded. All recommended remedial measures have been implemented. Affected individuals have been contacted. The Institute’s governance has been restructured to ensure that equivalent concerns, should they arise in future, are identified and addressed with greater expedition.

The Institute acknowledges that its procedures prior to 2024 did not adequately address certain categories of archival risk. The governance restructuring undertaken in response to the review represents a material strengthening of the Institute’s institutional safeguards. We are satisfied that the measures now in place meet or exceed the standards expected of a charitable trust conducting research in this field.

The Institute has not sought to identify or contact every individual who may have been exposed to the material in question over the course of its institutional history. The material was in circulation within a bounded professional community. We believe that the remedial measures taken, combined with the notification of relevant institutional partners, constitute a proportionate response to the concerns raised.

Review Committee

The review was overseen by an external ethics panel convened specifically for this purpose. The panel comprised individuals drawn from the academic community with expertise in research ethics, archival governance, and assessment methodology. The panel’s composition and its full report are documented in internal records. The membership of the panel is not published, consistent with the Institute’s practice of protecting the privacy of external advisors.

The panel’s recommendations were reviewed by the Committee on Succession and implemented under the oversight of the Director of Research Integrity, Dr. Cordelia March. External methodological consultation was provided by the Perceptual Analytics Group. The Institute’s digitisation partner, J. B. Fowler (Precision Stimuli), was notified of the review’s findings as they pertained to materials in its custody.

Timeline

• [Month] 2024Initial review announced. Concerns raised regarding one stimulus material in the Institute’s archival collection. The Committee on Succession convened and resolved to initiate a comprehensive institutional review.
• [Month] 2024External ethics panel convened. Panel membership drawn from the academic community. Terms of reference included stimulus review, methodology audit, and governance assessment.
• [Date withheld]Staff briefing completed. All current Institute personnel informed of the review’s scope, the material under examination, and the expected timeline for resolution.
• [Date withheld]Affected parties contacted. Individuals identified as having been exposed to the material in a professional capacity were notified. The Institute acknowledges that notification may not have been comprehensive; records from earlier periods of the Institute’s history are incomplete.
• [Month] 2024Support resources activated. The Institute funded independent support resources for affected individuals. The nature, duration, and uptake of these resources is not published, consistent with the Institute’s obligation to protect the privacy of affected individuals.
• [Date withheld]Governance restructure completed. The Committee on Succession adopted revised governance protocols. The Director of Research Integrity assumed formal oversight of ongoing compliance with the new protocols.
• [Month] 2025External audit completed. An independent audit confirmed that all recommended remedial measures had been implemented. The audit report is held in restricted internal records.

Remedial Measures

1. Stimulus Review. One item from the archival collection was identified as the subject of concern. The item has been moved to enhanced restricted access (Vault 4, Restricted Holdings) and is no longer used in any active research programme. The item has been assigned the archival designation IPS-ARC-2024-001. View specimen record →
2. Methodology Review. The Institute’s stimulus validation procedures have been revised to incorporate additional safeguards. All materials used in active research are now subject to mandatory vetting against an expanded set of ethical criteria. External consultation on validation methodology was provided by the Perceptual Analytics Group, which also revised its own restricted materials access protocols (PAG-SEC-007) in response to the review.
3. Governance Restructure. The Committee on Succession adopted revised governance protocols developed under the oversight of the Director of Research Integrity, Dr. Cordelia March. The new protocols formalise external oversight of research ethics, establish mandatory review intervals for restricted archival holdings, and strengthen the independence of the Institute’s ethics review function. Further details on governance →
4. Digitisation Partner Notification. The Institute’s archival digitisation partner, J. B. Fowler (Precision Stimuli), was notified of the review’s findings as they pertained to materials in its custody. J. B. Fowler has confirmed that it has updated its acquisition procedures accordingly and that no materials in its custody were affected by the concerns raised.

Review Documentation

The following documents were produced during the course of the 2024 institutional review. All are held in restricted internal records and are not available for public viewing. Accredited researchers may apply for access through the Institute’s archival access procedures.

Frequently Asked Questions

What prompted the review?

Concerns were raised regarding one stimulus material held in the Institute’s archival collection and regarding the adequacy of the Institute’s validation procedures. The specifics of the concerns are documented in restricted materials. Those concerns have been investigated and addressed.

Why were these issues not identified earlier?

The Institute’s archival holdings span more than five decades and include materials accessioned under standards that were appropriate to their time but which would not meet contemporary expectations. The governance restructuring undertaken in 2024 is designed to ensure that archival holdings are reviewed against current standards on a regular basis, rather than relying on ad hoc identification of concerns.

Has the Institute’s charitable trust status been affected?

No. The Institute continues to operate as a registered charitable trust under Swiss law. The Committee on Succession has confirmed that the Institute remains in compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements.

Has anything changed for current research?

Yes. The Institute’s stimulus vetting procedures have been strengthened. All materials used in active research are now subject to mandatory ethical review. Validation protocols incorporate additional safeguards. Several research programmes were paused during the review and have since resumed under revised protocols. Current research programme →

Can I view the material that prompted the review?

The material is held under enhanced restricted access. Accredited researchers with institutional affiliation, ethics board approval, and a documented research purpose may apply through the Museum & Collections section. Not all applications are approved. Access procedures →

Was anyone harmed?

The concerns raised related to the nature and provenance of one stimulus material. The Institute acknowledges that exposure to the material may have caused distress to some individuals who encountered it in a professional context. Affected individuals have been contacted and support resources have been made available. The Institute does not publish information regarding the nature or extent of individual responses to the material.

Will there be further reviews?

The governance restructuring includes provision for periodic review of restricted archival holdings. The next scheduled review will commence in 2027. The Institute reserves the right to initiate additional reviews at any time should concerns arise.