Comparable Text
Definition
The requirement that the exemplar set contains multiple repetitions of each letter, numeral, and character type that appears in the questioned document, in a comparable writing context (same script type, same capitalisation register).
- Field
- Questioned document examination
- Requirement
- Repetition of each letter, numeral, character type
- Also required
- Same script type and capitalisation register
- Purpose
- Ensures exemplars are usable for direct comparison
Common questions
What happens if the exemplar set lacks comparable text for a character in the questioned document?+
The examiner cannot form a sound opinion on that specific character and must either request additional exemplars containing it or explicitly note the limitation in the report, since comparing a questioned character to a different, non-matching character form is not a valid basis for conclusions.
Why does capitalisation register matter for comparability?+
Writers often form the same letter differently depending on whether it is written in cursive, print, or all capitals, so an exemplar written entirely in block capitals is not directly comparable to questioned writing in cursive script, even if the underlying letters are the same.
Related terms
- Character Inventory
- The pre-collection analysis of the questioned document to identify all letters, numerals, and special characters it contains, which then governs the comparable-text...
- Contemporaneity
- The requirement that the exemplar set includes writings produced at approximately the same time as the questioned document, to avoid comparing writing...
- Course-of-Business Writings
- Handwriting exemplars collected from writings the subject produced in the normal course of their life, before the case arose, without knowledge that...
- Gilbert V. California (1967)
- US Supreme Court decision holding that compelled handwriting exemplars do not constitute testimonial self-incrimination protected by the Fifth Amendment, because handwriting is...
- Natural Variation
- The normal within-writer fluctuation in individual features across repetitions of the same letter or writing task; an examiner assesses whether questioned-writing variation...
- PACE 1984 s.61A
- The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 provision (inserted by the Criminal Justice Act 2003) allowing a UK constable to compel a...
- Request Writings
- Handwriting exemplars produced by the person of interest specifically for comparison purposes, under conditions controlled by the investigator or examiner; also called...
- Section 73 IEA / BSA 2023
- The Indian Evidence Act 1872 provision (carried forward into the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023) empowering a court to direct any person to...
- Sufficient Quantity
- The requirement that the exemplar set contains enough repetitions of each significant individual characteristic to allow the examiner to establish the writer's...