Traceability
Definition
A documented relationship between material, identifiers, actions and records. Physical custody and the conditions affecting an analysis should both be recorded. An unexplained gap requires assessment. It does not automatically prove tampering or make evidence inadmissible in every jurisdiction.
- Context
- Evidence records
For example, an extract identifier should remain connected to its parent specimen, preparation records and analytical outputs even after the material is subdivided.
Related terms
- Chain of Custody
- The documented history of possession and transfers of an item of evidence. Physical custody and the conditions affecting an analysis should both...
- Custody Gap
- An unresolved gap in recorded possession or identity, with consequences requiring case-specific assessment. Its significance depends on what information is missing and...
- Ethanol Fixation
- Use of ethanol for preservation, with concentration, dilution, storage and intended analysis documented. Record ethanol concentration, dilution by wet material, storage conditions...
- Handling Deviation
- A departure from the intended procedure whose impact must be evaluated. Record transport, storage, preservation, refrigeration and examination events with their times....
- Hot-Water Killing
- A preservation step using an appropriate hot-water protocol; it does not guarantee unchanged measurements under every storage condition. Treatment and storage can...
- Instar Determination
- Assessment of the developmental stage between moults using an appropriate method. Typical blow flies have three larval instars, but that count is...
- Parent Sample
- The identified material from which a subsample is taken. Record each subsample’s identity, location, treatment and intended analysis. Without that relationship, a...
- Preservation Artefact
- A treatment- or storage-associated change affecting observed specimen features. A measurement protocol should be compatible with the reference against which it is...
- Scene-to-Laboratory Transfer Record
- Documentation of transport times, conditions and relevant handling from collection to laboratory receipt. Record transport, storage, preservation, refrigeration and examination events with...
- Voucher Specimen
- Retained material supporting the identification and possible re-examination of an organism. Link it to the case, observations, analytical sampling and storage history....