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Disclosure duty

Definition

The obligation to report all material findings, including those that undermine the instructing party's position. Negative results, method limitations, known error rates, and contrary peer opinion must all be disclosed. Selective reporting is treated as a serious breach.

Related terms

Accreditation
Formal recognition by a standards body (such as UKAS in the UK, A2LA in the US, or NABL in India) that a...
Competence
The duty to opine only within the expert's validated area of expertise, using methods that are scientifically sound and, in most jurisdictions,...
Duty to the court
The obligation of expert witnesses in UK proceedings (and, to varying degrees, in other jurisdictions) to assist the court with objective, unbiased...
Gatekeeping
The judicial function, codified in the United States by Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (1993) and Federal Rule of Evidence 702, of...
Independence
The requirement that an expert's opinion is formed solely on the evidence and the expert's own professional judgment, free from pressure from...

Explained in

  • Codes of Conduct for Forensic ExpertsThe obligation to report all material findings, including those that undermine the instructing party's position. Negative results, method limitations, known er...

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