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Frequently Ask
Questions
What does a forensic
document examiner do
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 where in 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 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:
- 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
What do the terms "forensic science" and
"forensic document examination" mean?
"American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, Inc."
Forensic science is the application of various
sciences to the law. The application of allied
sciences and analytical techniques to questions
concerning documents is termed forensic document
examination. The examination of questioned documents
consists of the analysis and comparison of
questioned handwriting, hand printing, typewriting,
commercial printing, photocopies, papers, inks, and
other documentary evidence with known material in
order to establish the authenticity of the contested
material as well as the detection of alterations.
Handwriting
Identification
"Southeastern
Association of Forensic Document Examiners"
Handwriting identification is based on the principle
that, while handwriting within a language tends to
be alike to the degree that we can meaningfully read
it, there are individual features that distinguish
one person's writing from that of another. Just as
no two people are exactly alike, the handwritings of
no two people are exactly alike in their combination
of characteristics. There are, of course, natural
variations within the handwriting of each
individual. These variations must be closely and
carefully studied by the examiner, so that he can
distinguish between what is a "variation" and what
is a "difference".
The examiner must also be cognizant of the
differences between "class characteristics" and
"individual characteristics". Class characteristics
are those which are common to a group such as a
particular writing system, family grouping, foreign
language system, or professional group. Individual
characteristics are those which are personal or
peculiar letters or letter combinations, which,
taken together, would not occur in the writing of
another person.
Handwriting identification is a comparison study
requiring authenticated specimens of known
handwriting from the individual(s) concerned. These
are closely compared to the handwriting
characteristics exhibited by the questioned writing
in order to determine authorship.
Like must be compared
to like: printing to printing and cursive to
cursive, with comparable letters, letter
combinations, words, and numerals.
What is an
autograph?
"Wikipedia"
An autograph is a document written
entirely in the handwriting of its author,
as opposed to a typeset document or one
transcribed by an amanuensis or a copyist;
the meaning overlaps with that of the word
holograph. Autograph also refers to a
person's signature. This term is used in
particular for the practice of collecting
autographs of celebrities. The collection of
autographs is known as philography.
An individual's writing styles change throughout the lifespan of a
person; a signature of President George Washington (c. 1795) will be
different from one when he was an 18-year-old land surveyor. After
British Admiral Nelson lost his right arm at the Tenerife sea-battle
in 1797, he switched to using his left hand. However, the degree of
change may vary greatly. The signatures of Washington and Lincoln
changed only slightly during their adult lives, while John F.
Kennedy's signature was different virtually every time he signed.
Other factors affect an individuals signature, including their level
of education, health, and so on. Blues singer John Lee Hooker had a
limited education, and such is reflected in his handwriting.
Composer Charles Ives and boxer Muhammad Ali both suffered from
Parkinson's disease, and their handwriting show the effects of that
condition as well. Native American Chief Geronimo had no concept of
an alphabet; he "drew" his signature, much like a pictograph. Many
individuals have much more fanciful signatures than their normal
cursive writing, including elaborate ascenders, descenders and
exotic flourishes, much as one would find in calligraphic writing.
What is a signature?
"Wikipedia"
A signature (from
Latin signare,
"sign") is a handwritten
(and sometimes stylized)
depiction of someone's name
(or some other identifying
mark) that a person writes
on documents as a proof of
identity and will. It acts
as a seal. The writer of a
signature is a signatory.
Like a handwritten
signature, a signature
work describes the work as
readily identifying its creator.
What is a Manuscript?
A manuscript is any document that is written by
hand, as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some
other way. The term may also be used for information that is
hand-recorded in other ways than writing, for example
inscriptions that are chiseled upon a hard material or
scratched (the original meaning of graffiti) as with a knife
point in plaster or with a stylus on a waxed tablet, (the
way Romans made notes), or are in cuneiform writing,
impressed with a pointed stylus in a flat tablet of unbaked
clay. The word manuscript is derived from the Latin manu
scriptus, literally "written by hand."
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