How it works

What a case file is

Each case file checks one claim. It shows what supporters can really prove, what science and investigators found, and a verdict. Every case file follows the same rules, so you can judge our work by them. If we break one, tell us.

Column 1: what supporters can show

We state the strongest version of the argument, in words its supporters would accept.
An item goes in this column only if anyone can check it: a document, a recording, a measurement, a published study, or a witness on the record under their own name.
For each item we say what it shows and what it does not show. A real fact can support a smaller conclusion than the one drawn from it.
Rumours, anonymous insiders and “a researcher told me” go in a separate box called “Could not verify”. We list them so readers know we looked.

Column 2: what science found

Our sources are peer-reviewed studies, official investigations and primary documents. Every fact carries a numbered citation.
We explain how something works, not only that it was wrong. A reader should be able to repeat the explanation to a friend.
When science has no answer, we say so, and the verdict is Open.

How we grade sources

Level 1

Peer-reviewed study, official government or military report, court decision, original primary document. Best source for facts and conclusions.

Level 2

Serious secondary source with editors or a known expert author: university pages, major newspapers, science reference works, established sceptic organisations. Good source for facts.

Level 3

Supporter sources: UFO websites, books by supporters, witness interviews. Used only to describe what supporters claim, never to prove that something is true.

Level 4

Forums, anonymous blogs, comment threads, content farms. Not cited.

How we choose a verdict

We answer five questions in order and stop at the first yes. If we are not sure an answer is yes, it counts as no.

Did the maker admit that it was made up, or did a court or an official investigation show it? Hoax. This question is only for single items such as one film, one document or one book.
Does a known cause explain all the main parts of the claim, with reliable sources? Explained.
Does a known cause explain the main parts, while some details remain without an answer? Partly explained.
Are there real, recorded observations that nobody has explained yet? Open. Open does not mean alien.
Otherwise the claim rests on testimony, rumour or documents that cannot be checked. No evidence.

Sometimes part of a claim is true. Then the verdict line says so, for example: “The experiences are real. The abductions are not supported.”

Corrections and changes

Each case file shows the date it was last reviewed and a log of changes.
If new evidence appears, the verdict can move in either direction.
We correct mistakes publicly. Send the source, not only the opinion.

Tone

We do not mock witnesses or people who believe. Most UFO reports come from honest people who saw something they could not identify. We are critical of methods and claims. We name the people behind them only when their public role makes it necessary, and we never call a person a liar or a fraud.

How these case files are made

Case files are drafted with the help of AI tools, and their sources are checked before publication. If we cannot confirm a source, it is marked “to check”. If you find an error or a better source, tell us and we will correct it.

About this domain

From 2004 to 2012 the address ufomachine.org hosted an Italian ufology portal about abductions, crop circles and alternative science. The domain later expired and was used by unrelated sites. UFO Machine is a new project. It has no connection to the earlier site and does not republish its material.