Verbal equivalence scale
Definition
A table that assigns a verbal phrase to a range of LR values or log10(LR) values. The phrase is used in written forensic reports to communicate evidential strength to non-specialist readers. The table itself must be defined and justified by the issuing laboratory or standards body.
Related terms
- ENFSI guideline
- The European Network of Forensic Science Institutes Guideline for Evaluative Reporting in Forensic Science (2015, updated 2016). It defines the propositions framework,...
- 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...
Explained in
- Strength of Evidence and Likelihood Ratio ScalesA table that assigns a verbal phrase to a range of LR values or log10(LR) values. The phrase is used in written forensic reports to communicate evidential stre...