Exemplar
Definition
A known writing sample from a specific, identified person, used for comparison against questioned handwriting. Also called a 'standard.'
- Also called
- Standard
- Source
- Specific, identified person
- Use
- Comparison against questioned handwriting
- Field
- Questioned document examination
Common questions
What makes a writing sample usable as an exemplar?+
It must be reliably attributed to a specific, known individual, since the entire comparison depends on the examiner being certain of who actually wrote it. An anonymous or disputed sample cannot serve as an exemplar.
Does one exemplar provide enough basis for comparison?+
Generally not. Examiners prefer multiple exemplars spanning different dates and writing conditions, because a single sample may not capture the natural variation present in a person's genuine handwriting.
Related terms
- ABFDE
- American Board of Forensic Document Examiners: the US professional certification body whose diplomate examination is the recognised US standard for examiner competence...
- 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...
- CFSL
- Central Forensic Science Laboratory: a central government lab operating under DFSS. India has CFSLs at New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Pune, Guwahati,...
- ENFSI EDEWG
- European Network of Forensic Science Institutes, European Document Examiners Working Group: the EU-level body coordinating document examination standards, proficiency tests, and the...
- NABL
- National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, a constituent board of the Quality Council of India. It is the sole accrediting...
- OSAC
- Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science: established by NIST and DOJ in 2014, it develops consensus forensic standards through structured...
- PCAST 2016
- President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology 2016 report 'Forensic Science in Criminal Courts', which assessed foundational validity of forensic disciplines...
- Questioned Document
- Any document whose authorship, authenticity, or content is in dispute. In forensic linguistics, the Ramsey ransom note is a canonical example: its...
- SWGDOC
- The Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examination (US), which publishes standards for typewriter examination, handwriting comparison, ink analysis, and related forensic...