ENFSI Guideline for Evaluative Reporting
Definition
A consensus guidance document from the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes that defines how member laboratories should express evaluative opinions. It mandates proposition-based reasoning, likelihood ratio expression, and a standardised verbal scale, and prohibits source-attribution conclusions.
Related terms
- Verbal scale
- The ENFSI translation of numerical likelihood ratios into courtroom language: very strong support (LR over 10,000), strong support (LR 1,000-10,000), moderate support...
- Accreditation body
- A national or regional organisation that assesses laboratories against ISO/IEC 17025 and grants accreditation. Examples include UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), NIST-associated...
- Evaluative conclusion
- A forensic opinion that addresses the weight of the evidence, typically expressed as an LR or a verbal equivalent. Distinct from a...
- ILAC G19
- A guidance document from the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation on the use of uncertainty of measurement in forensic science reporting. It requires...
- ISO 17025
- International standard for the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Covers management system requirements (document control, internal audits,...
- 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...
- Proposition pair
- The two competing hypotheses that frame an evaluative opinion: typically a prosecution proposition (Hp) and a defence proposition (Hd). A compliant report...
- Source-level hypothesis
- A proposition about who or what produced a trace, for example 'this glass came from the broken window at the crime scene'...
- UK Forensic Science Regulator (FSR)
- The statutory body in England and Wales responsible for setting and monitoring quality standards in forensic science. The FSR has published codes...
Explained in these topics
- Evaluative Opinion Standards and FrameworksA consensus guidance document from the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes that defines how member laboratories should express evaluative opinions....
- Verbal Equivalents of the Likelihood RatioA 2015 document from the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes that sets out best practice for Bayesian evaluative reporting, including a recommended...