ENFSI Guideline
Definition
The European Network of Forensic Science Institutes Guideline for Evaluative Reporting in Forensic Science (2015, updated 2016). It defines the propositions framework, the LR framework, and a recommended seven-level verbal scale, and is one of the primary international standards for evaluative reporting.
- Full title
- ENFSI Guideline for Evaluative Reporting in Forensic Science
- Published
- 2015, updated 2016
- Core elements
- Propositions framework and likelihood-ratio framework
- Scale
- Recommended seven-level verbal scale
Common questions
What is the 'propositions framework' this guideline requires?+
It requires the examiner to state, at the outset of the evaluation, the two (or more) competing propositions the evidence is being weighed against, for example that a stain came from the suspect versus from an unknown person, before presenting any conclusion.
Why does the guideline use seven verbal levels rather than the five used in some related scales like FIRM?+
Different ENFSI-linked documents and working groups have converged on scales of differing granularity over time; the seven-level scale in this core guideline is the most widely cited general-purpose version, while discipline-specific manuals sometimes use a coarser scale suited to their evidence type.
Related terms
- Jeffreys Scale
- A logarithmic scale for Bayes factors proposed by Harold Jeffreys in Theory of Probability (1961). Levels run from 'barely worth mentioning' at...
- Likelihood Ratio (LR)
- The ratio of two conditional probabilities: the probability of the observed evidence given the prosecution's hypothesis (same source), divided by the probability...
- Log10(LR)
- The base-10 logarithm of the likelihood ratio, sometimes called the weight of evidence (following I.J. Good). A log10(LR) of 1 corresponds to...
- Transposition Fallacy
- The error of treating the probability of the evidence given a hypothesis as though it were the probability of the hypothesis given...
- Verbal Equivalence Scale
- A table that assigns a verbal phrase to a range of LR values or log10(LR) values. The phrase is used in written...