system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[General Horror] How do I know my paranormal research is reliable?

So my best friend got eaten by some sort of freaky monster, then just showed up to school the next day like I didn't totally see him get his throat ripped out. Nobody believes me and I can't seem to prove what's going down to anybody except my goofy comedic friend and a girl who would be impossibly hot except she wears glasses and is thus a totally unattractive nerd. 

Now my rag-tag group isn't sure if what we're up against is a vampire, a demon, or a Chupacabra. As such we've decided to do some research online, at the local magic shop and in the occult section of the school's library which I only just noticed for some reason. But how can I know what's good info, what's just ancient peasants making bad guesses, and what's a bunch of crazy crackpot LARPer's making stuff up? I don't want to bring a holy symbol to a werewolf fight just because some dude with the username GrimmWarlock669 said that'd work on a forum post 3 years ago. 

How do I know my paranormal research is reliable?
gpt
You're missing someone from your team - the Crackpot Investigator.  They're the one who's going to know what to do, so you need to find that person first.  

You already know who they are even if you haven't put it together yet.  Is there someone at your school who's a bit quirky and standoffish and is maybe into dark things?  Maybe the kid who did a book report about the Salem witch trials or always talks about Slender Man?

If you don't have someone like that in your immediate circle there is no doubt someone close by.  A prominent horror author who lives in your town, a blogger who posts about cryptozoology, or even an amateur filmmaker who makes schlocky zombie movies.

Go to them and tell them what you know.  Don't be put off if they tell you you're crazy - it's almost guaranteed they will at first.  Show them how desperate you are and they'll eventually help you just to get you to leave them alone.  In doing so they'll discover it's all true.