Questioned document examination (QDE) is known by many names including forensic document examination, document examination, diplomatics, handwriting examination, and sometimes handwriting analysis, although the latter name is not often used as it may be confused with graphology. Likewise a forensic document examiner is not to be confused with a graphologist, and vice versa. The questioned document division of a crime lab is sometimes referred to as "QD" in popular media. Download high resolution version (1760x1164, 1116 KB)Public domain. ... Crime Scene, done by the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command Forensic science (often shortened to forensics) is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system. ... Forensic pathology, first recognized in the USA by the American Board of Pathology in 1959, is a branch of medicine concerned with determining cause of death usually for civil or criminal law cases. ... Forensic dentistry or forensic odontology, the proper handling, examination and evaluation of dental evidence, which will be then presented in the interest of justice. ... Forensic anthropologists can help identify skeletonized human remains, such as these found lying in scrub in Western Australia, circa 1900-1910. ... Forensic entomology is the science and study of insects and other arthropods related to legal investigations. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Forensic psychiatry is a subspeciality of psychiatry. ... The tip of a finger showing the friction ridge structure. ... Ballistics (gr. ... Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) is one of several specialties in the field of forensic science. ... Forensic genetics refers to the application of genetic science to legal matters. ... Forensic toxicology is the use of toxicology to aid medicolegal investigation of death, poisoning, and drug use. ... Italic textjhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhghfffffff gggggggggggggggggg hjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjppppppppppppaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllggggggggggggyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy patology ... Preparing C-4 explosive This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... Information Forensics is the science of investigation into systemic processes that produce information. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Digital Forensic Tools. ... A forensic database is a general term but would usually pertain to a set of information contained within a database that would be useful in a Forensic study. ... Forensic engineering is the investigation of materials, products, structures or components that fail or do not operate/function as intended, causing personal injury for example. ... Fire investigation is the analysis of fire related incidents. ... Vehicular accident reconstructions are often conducted by specialized units in law enforcement agencies, to answer questions about automobile accidents, such as who was driving, where were the victims seated, were they using seat belts? Through accident reconstruction, rigorous analysis is done, with expert witnesses that can present results in trial. ... Dr. Edmond Locard (1877-1966) was a pioneer in forensic science who became known as the Sherlock Holmes of France. ... Dr. William M. Bass is a U.S. forensic anthropologist, renowned for his research on human osteology and human decomposition. ... A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place such as molestation, rape or illegal turnip smoking, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by [[forensics|forensic scientists] for example the reknowned criminal investigator and skilled forensic scientist, who is unfortunately... The CSI Effect (sometimes referred to as the CSI syndrome) is a reference to the phenomenon of popular television shows such as the CSI franchise, the Law & Order Franchise and Crossing Jordan raising crime victims and jury members real-world expectations of forensic science, especially crime scene investigation and DNA... Trace evidence is evidence that is found at a crime scene in small but measurable amounts. ... Diplomatics is forensic palaeography. ... Graphology is the study and analysis of handwriting especially in relation to human psychology. ...

The task of forensic document examination is to answer questions about a disputed document using a variety of scientific processes and methods. Many examinations involve a comparison of the questioned document, or components of the document, to a set of known standards. The most common type of examination involves handwriting wherein the examiner tries to address concerns about potential authorship.

One task of a forensic document examiner is to determine if a questioned item originated from the same source as the known item(s), then present their opinion in court as an expert witness. Other tasks include determining what has happened to a document, determining when a document was produced, or deciphering information on the document that has been obscured, obliterated or erased. A trial at the Old Bailey in London as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Ackermanns Microcosm of London (1808-11). ... An expert witness is a witness, who by virtue of education, profession, publication or experience, is believed to have special knowledge of his or her subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon his opinion. ...

Scope of document examination

Forensic document examiner is intimately linked to the legal system as a forensic scientist. Forensic science is the application of science to address issues under consideration in the legal system. The word forensic (from Latin: forensis - forum) refers to something of, pertaining to, or used in a court of law. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ...

In Canada and the United States, common criminal charges involved in a document examination case fall into the "white-collar crime" category. These include forgery, counterfeiting, fraud, or uttering a forged document. However, documents may be important in many other contexts. Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland ...as a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation. ... Forgery is the process of making or adapting objects or documents (see false document), with the intention to deceive. ... A counterfeit is an imitation that is made with the intent to deceptively represent its content or origins. ...

A forensic document examiner deals with items that form part of a case which may or may not come before a court of law. The many types of possible examinations are as follows: Look up case in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A trial at the Old Bailey in London as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Ackermanns Microcosm of London (1808-11). ...

• Handwriting (cursive / printing) and Signatures
• Typewriters, Photocopiers, Laser printers, Fax machines
• Chequewriters, Rubber stamps, Price markers, Label makers
• Printing Processes
• Ink, Pencil, Paper
• Alterations, additions, erasures, obliterations
• Indentations
• Sequence of Strokes
• Physical Matching

Penmanship is the art of writing clearly and quickly. ... Cursive is any style of handwriting which is designed for writing down notes and letters by hand. ... For other articles which might have the same name, see Print (disambiguation). ... John Hancocks signature is one of the most prominent on the United States Declaration of Independence. ... Mechanical desktop typewriters, such as this Underwood Five, were long time standards of government agencies, newsrooms, and sales offices. ... A small, much-used Xerox copier in a high school library. ... 1993 Apple LaserWriter Pro 630 laser printer A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. ... A checkwriter is a device for protecting a check by preventing the monetary amount for which it was written from being raised or altered. ... This article is about vulcanized rubber stamps. ... A label maker is a device designed to produce small, self adhesive labels for affixing to objects. ... Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. ... An ink is a liquid containing various pigments and/or dyes used for coloring a surface to render an image or text. ... This article is about the handwriting instrument. ... A blank sheet of paper Paper is a commodity of thin material produced by the amalgamation of fibers, typically vegetable fibers composed of cellulose, which are subsequently held together by hydrogen bonding. ... An indentation can mean two things: To make notches in something or form deep recesses in a coastline for instance. ...

What sort of documents are examined?

Documents feature prominently in all manner of business and personal affairs. Almost any type of document may become disputed in an investigation or litigation. For example, a questioned document may be a sheet of paper bearing handwriting or mechanically-produced text such as a ransom note, a forged cheque or a business contract. Or it may be be some material not normally thought of as a 'document'. Forensic document examiners define the word "document" in a very broad sense as being any material bearing marks, signs or symbols intended to convey a message or meaning to someone. This encompasses traditional paper documents but also includes things like graffiti on a wall, stamp impressions on meat products, or covert markings hidden in a written letter, among other things.

Some forensic document examiners limit their work to the examination and comparison of handwriting, but most of the forensic document examiners inspect the whole document.

Historical cases

• The Mark Hofmann forgeries and murders
• The Hitler Diaries
• The Paul Jennings Hill murders
• The Howland will forgery trial
• The JonBenét Ramsey murder
• The Killian memos
• The Lindbergh kidnapping
• Clifford Irving and the Howard Hughes biography
• The Martha Stewart trial
• The Mormon Will
• Nina Wang and the Teddy Wang will forgery
• The Yellowcake Forgery
• The BTK killer
• The Zodiac Killer

Although the crimes were committed some time before the discipline of document examination was firmly established, the letters of the Jack the Ripper case have since been examined in great detail. Mark Hofmann (born December 7, 1954), a disaffected member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was a prolific counterfeiter who murdered two people in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... Hitlers Diaries Discovered (Stern) In April 1983, the German news magazine Stern published extracts from what purported to be the diaries of Adolf Hitler, known as the Hitler Diaries, which were subsequently exposed as forgeries. ... Rev. ... The Howland will forgery trial was a US court case in 1868 to decide Henrietta Howland Robinsons contest of the will of Sylvia Ann Howland. ... JonBenét Patricia Ramsey (August 6, 1990 – December 26, 1996) was a six-year-old girl found murdered in the basement of her parents home in Boulder, Colorado, nearly eight hours after she was reported missing. ... The Killian documents (often referred to as the CBS documents during the 2004 US presidential campaign) were memos purportedly written by the late Lieutenant Colonel Jerry B. Killian. ... Lindbergh baby kidnapping poster. ... For the politician, see Clifford Irving (politician). ... For the Welsh murderer, see Howard Hughes (murderer). ... Martha Stewart (born Martha Helen Kostyra on August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, author, editor and homemaking advocate. ... Melvin Earl Dummar (born August 28, 1944) was a Willard, Utah service station owner who claimed that one evening in December 1967 he had picked up Howard Hughes along a desolate road in the Nevada desert. ... This article is all about the Chinese billionaire Nina Wang. ... The term Yellowcake Forgery refers to falsified classified documents initially uncovered by Italian intelligence which possibly depicted an attempt by Iraqs Saddam Hussein regime to purchase yellowcake uranium from the country of Niger, in defiance of United Nations sanctions. ... Pool video released March 1, 2005 of Raders first appearance Dennis Lynn Rader (born March 9, 1945) is an American serial killer, who murdered at least ten people in Sedgwick County (in and around Wichita), Kansas, United States, between 1974 and 1991. ... The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California for ten months in the late 1960s. ... Jack the Ripper is the pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area of London, England in the second half of 1888. ...

Candidacy

A person who desires to enter a career of forensic document examination must possess certain traits and abilities. First and foremost, excellent eyesight is required in order to see fine details that are otherwise inconspicuous. The aspirant must also pass a form blindness test in order to ensure that the aspirant does not suffer from the condition of being unable to tell apart two similarly-appearing, yet different, items. Similarly successful completion of a test for color perception is normal. A bachelor of science degree is also typically required, as it gives the aspirant a scientific background with which to approach the work in an objective manner, as well as bestowing necessary biological, physical, and chemical knowledge sometimes called upon. ASTM Standard E2388-05 (Standard Guide for Minimum Training Requirements for Forensic Document Examiners) has "an earned baccalaureate degree or equivalent" as one of several requirements. Additional desirable skills would include knowledge of paper, ink, printing processes, or handwriting. Visual perception is one of the senses, consisting of the ability to detect light and interpret (see) it as the perception known as sight or naked eye vision. ... Color vision is a psychophysical phenomenon that exists only in our minds. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A B.A. issued as a certificate A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ... In science, the ideal of objectivity is an essential aspect of the scientific method, and is generally considered by the scientific community to come about as a result of strict observance of the scientific method, including the scientists willingness to submit their methods and results to an open debate by... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Galunggung in 1982, showing a combination of natural events. ... A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... Personification of knowledge (Greek Επιστημη, Episteme) in Celsus Library in Ephesos, Turkey. ...

Training

There are three possible methods of instruction for an aspiring document examiner:

1. Self-education is the way in which the pioneers of the field began, as there was no other method of instruction.
2. Apprenticeship has become the widespread manner in which many examiners are now taught. In fact, this is the method that is recommended by ASTM in Standard E2388-05. To conform with the ASTM standard such training "shall be the equivalent of a minimum of 24 months full-time training under the supervision of a principal trainer" and "the training program shall be successfully completed in a period not to exceed four years".
3. College and/or university programs are very limited at this time. This is due, in part, to the relatively limited demand for forensic document examiners. It also relates to the need for extensive practical experience; particularly with respect to handwriting examination. It would be very difficult to include this degree of practical experience in a normal academic program. Nonetheless, a couple of academic programs directly related to forensic document examination are:
   1. Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona (Cataluña,España)
   2. Oklahoma State University Grad Program in Forensic Science
   3. L'Université de Lausanne Institut de Police Scientifique (Lausanne, Switzerland)
   4. University of Lancashire, MSc in Document Analysis (Lancashire, UK)
   5. Institut fur Schrift- und Urkundenuntersuchung (Manheim, Germany

A more extensive listing relating to forensic training may be viewed at the website for the Canadian Society of Forensic Science Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of skilled crafts practitioners, which is still popular in some countries. ... ASTM International is an international voluntary standards organization that develops and produces technical standards for materials, products, systems and services. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... Plato is credited with the inception of academia: the body of knowledge, its development and transmission across generations. ...

A forensic document examination trainee must learn how to present evidence before the court in clear, forceful testimony. Fledgling examiners in the later stages of training can get a glimpse into the legal process as well as a better sense of this aspect of their work through participation in a mock trial or by attending actual court hearings to observe the testimony of qualified examiners. In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. ... This article is about law in society. ... A mock trial is a contrived or imitation trial. ...

Examination

The examination of handwriting to assess potential authorship proceeds from the principle of identification which can be expressed as: "Two writings are the product of one person if the similarities, when taken in combination, are sufficiently individual and there are no fundamental unexplainable differences."

There are three stages in the process of examination. In brief, they are:

1. The questioned and the known items are analyzed and broken down to directly perceptible characteristics.
2. The characteristics of the questioned item are then compared against the known standard.
3. Evaluation of the similarities and differences of the compared properties determines which ones are valuable for a conclusion. This depends on the uniqueness and frequency of occurrence in the items.

Common tools of the trade

• Excellent Eyesight
• Handlens/Loupe
• Stereomicroscope
• Electrostatic Detection Apparatus (ESDA)
• Video Spectral Comparator (VSC)

A magnifying glass is a single convex lens which is used to see girls better it is wonderful i love eating it is so tasty a mg is used also toproduce a magnified image of an object. ... ... ESDA (from Electrostatic Detection Apparatus), is a piece of equipment commonly used in questioned document examination, to reveal indented impressions on paper which may otherwise go unnoticed. ...

Professional organizations

• ASOCIACIÓN PROFESIONAL DE PERITOS CALÍGRAFOS DE CATALUÑA (España)
• American Society of Questioned Document Examiners (ASQDE) - USA
• American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) - USA
• Australasian Society of Forensic Document Examiners (ASFDE) - Australia/Asia
• Canadian Society of Forensic Science (CSFS) - Canada
• Southwestern Association of Forensic Document Examiners (SWAFDE) - Southwest USA
• Southeastern Association of Forensic Document Examiners (SAFDE) - Southeast USA
• Forensic Science Society (FSS) - United Kingdom
• International Association for Identification (IAI)
• Gesellschaft für Forensische Schriftuntersuchung (GFS) - Frankfurt (Germany)
• National Association of Document Examiners (NADE)
• Association of Forensic Document Examiners (AFDE)

The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) is a professional society for people in all areas of forensics. ... The International Association for Identification (IAI) is the largest forensic organisation in the world. ...

ABFDE ~ Certification

A document examiner may be certified by the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, Inc. (ABFDE), which was formed in 1977 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The ABFDE is one of the bodies that carry out certification of document examiners – there is no federal licensing involved. The court recognized the Board as reputable in the case of U.S. v. Buck, 1987, in denying a motion that claimed that handwriting comparisons were unreliable.

An applicant for certification must meet the following requirements:

• they must be of good moral character, high integrity and good repute; and possess high ethical and professional standing
• the program is limited to permanent residents of the USA, Canada and Mexico
• must possess a bachelor degree (or higher) from an accredited academic institution, or equivalent
• must successfully have completed a full-time training program of at least 2 years duration in a forensic laboratory recognized by the Board
• must provide three references from forensic document examiners certified or recognized by the Board
• must be actively engaged in the full-time practise of forensic document examination and
• must demonstrate a record of appropriate professional activity in forensic document examination

In addition to meeting the basic requirements listed above, an applicant must also pass comprehensive written, practical and oral examinations that explore the wide range of problems encountered in document examination. A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married (see single). ...

Certificates issued by the ABFDE are valid for five years, and can be renewed. During that five-year renewal period, the diplomate must earn at least 50 continuing education credits. Credits are awarded for a variety of related activities, such as attendance and participation at ABFDE recognized forensic meeting and programs, and publication of articles in journals recognized by the Board. Individuals holding a valid Certificate of Qualification issued by the ABFDE will use the designation "Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners."

ABFDE History John J. Harris sat as the inaugural chairman in 1977, and in the following year, the Committee of Certification was created. The board states its objectives as “to establish, maintain and enhance standards of qualification for those who practice forensic document examination, and to certify applicants who comply with ABFDE requirements for qualified specialists.”

Backed by the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners (ASQDE), Canadian Society of Forensic Science (CSFS), and the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS), the ABFDE ensures that the applicant satisfies a number of standardized requirements with regular testing to ensure that the examiner performs at the same high level of professionalism, as do the other people in the trade. More-so than merely denoting the attainment of certain academic and minimum standards, board certification indicates that the examiner cares enough about the profession to spend time and effort to adequately prepare himself or herself to properly serve the public. Courts must assess the credibility of the document examiner as an expert witness and to do this they will often rely upon the examiner’s reputation in the profession together with his or her affiliations with credible professional organizations. An expert witness is a witness, who by virtue of education, profession, publication or experience, is believed to have special knowledge of his or her subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon his opinion. ... Look up reputation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References ~ Literature

The literature relating to forensic document examination is very extensive. Publications in English, French, German and other languages are readily available. The following is a very brief list of accepted, English-language textbooks:

1. Osborn, A.S. (1929). Questioned Documents, 2nd ed. Albany, New York: Boyd Printing Company. Reprinted, Chicago: Nelson-Hall Co.
2. Harrison, W.R. (1958). Suspect Documents: Their Scientific Examination. New York: Praeger.
3. Conway, J.V.P. (1959). Evidential Documents. Illinois: Charles C Thomas.
4. Hilton, O. (1982). Scientific Examination of Questioned Documents. New York: Elsevier Science Publishing Co.
5. Huber R.A. & Headrick A.M. (1999). Handwriting Identification: Facts and Fundamentals. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
6. Ellen, D. (2005). Scientific Examination of Documents: Methods and Techniques, Third Edition. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
7. Morris, R. (2000). Forensic Handwriting Identification: Fundamental Concepts and Principles. Academic Press.
8. Levinson, J. (2001). Questioned Documents: A Lawyer's Handbook. San Diego: Academic Press.
9. Koppenhaver, K. (2007) Forensic Document Examination, Principles and Practice Humana Press.
10. Köller N., Nissen K., Reiβ M. & Sadorf E.: Probabilistische Schlussfolgerungen in Schriftgutachten/ Probability Conclusions in Expert Opinions on Handwriting, Luchterhand, Munchen (2004) available online in german & english: [1]

External links

• American Society of Questioned Document Examiners (ASQDE)
• American Board of Forensic Document Examiners (ABFDE)
• Southwestern Association of Forensic Document Examiners (SWAFDE)
• Southeastern Association of Forensic Document Examiners (SAFDE)
• European Network of Forensic Handwriting Experts (ENFHEX)
• Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examination (SWGDOC)
• Gesellschaft für Forensische Schriftuntersuchung (GFS) e. V. (German and English versions)
• American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS)
• Canadian Society of Forensic Science (CSFS)
• Canadian Identification Society (CIS)
• Forensic Science Society (FSS)
• International Association for Identification (IAI)
• National Association of Document Examiners (NADE)
• Association of Forensic Document Examiners (AFDE)
• La Trobe University Forensic Expertise Profiling Laboratory (FEPL)
• Institut für Schrift- und Urkundenuntersuchung (ISU)