Comparison Phase
Definition
The second ACE-V phase: the catalogued features of the questioned writing are evaluated against the exemplar set, documenting both similarities and differences with explicit explanations of each difference.
- Method
- ACE-V (Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation, Verification)
- Position
- Second phase
- Input
- Catalogued features from the analysis phase
- Documentation requirement
- Similarities and explained differences recorded
Common questions
How does the comparison phase differ from the evaluation phase that follows it?+
The comparison phase is descriptive: the examiner documents observed similarities and differences between questioned and exemplar writing without yet drawing a conclusion. The evaluation phase is where those documented observations are weighed to form an opinion on authorship.
Why must differences be explained rather than simply listed?+
A difference could arise from natural writing variation, a different writing instrument or surface, or genuine disguise or forgery, so the examiner records a proposed explanation for each difference to show the reasoning was not arbitrary and can be checked by a verifying examiner.
Related terms
- ACE-V
- Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation, Verification: the four-stage method for latent print examination used by accredited forensic fingerprint laboratories. Analysis examines the latent in...
- Analysis Phase
- The first ACE-V phase: the questioned writing is examined in isolation, individual features are catalogued, and the documentation is locked before the...
- Daubert Criteria
- The four criteria a US federal court applies to assess the admissibility of expert scientific testimony: has the methodology been tested, has...
- Evaluation Phase
- The third ACE-V phase: the combined weight of similarities and differences is expressed as a conclusion on the SWGDOC nine-point scale or...
- Linear ACE-V
- An implementation of ACE-V methodology that enforces strict sequential documentation: analysis of the latent mark must be completed and recorded before the...
- Sequential Unmasking
- An information-sequencing protocol in which the examiner receives the questioned material first, completes and documents the analysis before receiving the known standards,...
- SWGDOC Nine-Point Scale
- The conclusion scale developed by the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examination, running from 'identification' (most positive) through 'no conclusion' (midpoint)...
- Target-Shifting
- The cognitive bias whereby an examiner's perception of the questioned writing is unconsciously shaped by prior knowledge of what the exemplar writer's...
- Verification Phase
- The fourth ACE-V phase: an independent second examiner repeats the ACE process without access to the first examiner's conclusion, providing an independent...