Questioned documents
Sub-specialties: Documents, Handwriting, Passports, travel
& ID
Specialists in questioned documents all have a
general understanding of issues that routinely arise in their
field. These include methods of examining documents to show their
authenticity; alterations to them; the examination and comparison
of handwritings; and general examinations such as for indented
impressions. Beyond this general knowledge, practitioners must have
a general awareness of the more specialised examination methods
other practitioners may be able to offer.
Specialists in handwriting and signatures examine samples,
usually to determine authorship. In addition to the general
awareness all documents examiners must have, their expertise is in
interpreting observations, taking into account many influences such
as taught styles, age and disguise; and offering an opinion of
authorship which takes into account any constraints in the
evidence.
Specialists in the non-handwriting aspects of document
examination look in depth at all the other issues that arise
routinely in this field, such as how documents are produced (for
example copying, printing, typing); the materials from which they
are produced (for example paper, ink, other writing media); and
general aspects such as impressions and folds in the paper.
Some related aspects require expertise in highly specialised
fields such as security printing or the detailed analysis of
specialised inks or papers. Such specialists may not necessarily
have a detailed knowledge of the other aspects of questioned
documents, but they can apply their particular expertise to
particular document types, such as passports or identity
documents.
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