Philip Becnel published a modified excerpt of his book, Principles of Investigative Documentation, in the Fall 2015 edition of the Legal Investigator, a publication of the National Association of Legal Investigators. In the article, Philip outlined what he coined the “Five Principles of Investigative Documentation,” which include taking notes, keeping a running resume, writing reports, taking statements, and maintaining documents after an investigation. According to Philip, these are the building blocks of every good investigation. He wrote:
An investigator must get into the habit of viewing every action undertaken during an investigation—every database inquiry, every question, every response, every observation—as something that he or she may have to testify about at some later date. To buttress this possible testimony, he or she simply must adhere to the [Five Principles of Investigative Documentation].
Philip’s books, including Introduction to Conducting Private Investigations, are available on Amazon, among other places.