Report Writing

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This section discusses how to report results for firearm and toolmark analysis. The report is an official document and may be read by many professionals, including these:

Investigators
Prosecutors
Defense attorneys
Other forensic experts

There are some general guidelines pertaining to all forensic reports that should be followed.

Forensic reports must

adhere to the administrative and technical policies of the issuing laboratory,
adhere to the requirements of the laboratory’s accrediting body,
address all examinations requested by the submitting agency,
include results of any additional unrequested examinations,
be clearly written in Standard English using appropriate grammar and punctuation,
be written, to the extent possible, in non-technical terms,
express results in a balanced and unbiased way,
be a reflection of the case file.

Click here to read the Sample Worksheets and Reports Users Guide

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