Evaluation Phase
Definition
The third ACE-V phase: the combined weight of similarities and differences is expressed as a conclusion on the SWGDOC nine-point scale or equivalent conclusion scale.
- Method
- ACE-V, third phase
- Preceding phases
- Analysis, Comparison
- Conclusion scale
- SWGDOC nine-point scale or equivalent
- Discipline
- Handwriting comparison
Common questions
What happens during the Evaluation phase that did not happen during Comparison?+
Comparison catalogues the individual similarities and differences observed between the questioned and known writing, while Evaluation weighs that combined set of observations to reach a stated conclusion on the discipline's standard scale.
Why does handwriting comparison use a nine-point scale instead of a simple match or no-match?+
A graded scale, ranging from identification through inconclusive to elimination, lets an examiner express the actual strength of the evidence rather than forcing every case into a binary outcome the underlying similarities and differences may not support.
Does the Evaluation phase involve a second examiner?+
The Evaluation phase itself is the conclusion reached by the original examiner; independent confirmation by a second examiner is a separate step, Verification, that follows Evaluation in the full ACE-V sequence.
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...
- Comparison Phase
- The second ACE-V phase: the catalogued features of the questioned writing are evaluated against the exemplar set, documenting both similarities and differences...
- Daubert Criteria
- The four criteria a US federal court applies to assess the admissibility of expert scientific testimony: has the methodology been tested, has...
- 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...