Version	1.1	/	Date	of	Issue:	2.09.16 /	Issuing	Authority:	Forensic	Science	Standards	Board	(FSSB)

OSAC	RESEARCH	NEEDS	ASSESSMENT	FORM

Title	of	research	need: Comparability	and	Complexity	in	Handwriting

Keyword(s):

Submitting	subcommittee(s): Forensic	Document	Examination Date	Approved:

(If	SAC	review	identifies	additional	subcommittees,	add	them	to	the	box	above.)

Background	Information:

1. Description	of	research	need:

A	study	to	show	what	level	of	handwriting	complexity,	and	what	amount	of	writing,	is	necessary	to	make	a	

reliable	and	precise	conclusion.		This	might	be	broken	into	two	separate	projects	one	on	complexity	and	one	

on	writing	amounts.		This	could	extend	to	initials	and	symbolic	signatures	as	well.		

2. Key	bibliographic	references	relating	to	this	research	need:

Huber	R.	(2000).		“The	Heterogeneity	of	Handwriting,”	Journal	of	American	Society	of	Questioned	Document	

Examiners,	3(1).

Validity,	Reliability,	Accuracy,	and	Bias	in	Forensic	Signature	Identification	Mara	L.	Merlino	and	Tierra	M.	

Freeman,	Veronica	Blas	Dahir	and	Victoria	Springer,	Derek	Hammond,	Adrian	Dyer,	Bryan	Found.		Kentucky	

State	University,	Frankfurt,	Kentucky

Raymond	Marquis,	Silvia	Bozza,	Matthieu	Schmittbuhl	and	Franco	Taroni	Handwriting	Evidence	Evaluation	

Based	on	the	Shape	of	Characters:	Application	of	Multivariate	Likelihood	Ratios.		.		J	Forensic	Sci.		Volume	

56,	Issue	S1,	January	2011,	Pages:	S238–S242,	.		Article	first	published	online:	11	NOV	2010,	DOI:	

10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01602.

3a. In	what	ways	would	the	research	results	improve	current	laboratory	capabilities?

Having	research	that	shows	how	complex	writing	needs	to	be	or	the	amount	of	writing	that	is	necessary	to	

formulate	an	accurate	and	precise	opinion	will	only	strengthen	the	field.		Error	rates	could	possibly	go	down	

and	the	range	of	opinions	given	by	different	examiners	could	be	narrowed.		

3b. In	what	ways	would	the	research	results	improve	understanding	of	the	scientific	basis	for	the	

subcommittee(s)?

Additional	research,	especially	new	research,	will	need	to	be	reflected	in	the	standards	created	for	the	

applicable	forensic	field.		More	research	should	make	writing	standards	easier.		
Version	1.1	/	Date	of	Issue:	2.09.16 /	Issuing	Authority:	Forensic	Science	Standards	Board	(FSSB)

3c.		In	what	ways	would	the	research	results	improve	services	to	the	criminal	justice	system?

Any	research	that	can	further	validate	forensic	examinations	will	be	a	positive	to	the	criminal	justice	system.		

4.		Status	assessment	(I,	II,	III,	or	IV): I Major gap	in	

current	

knowledge

Minor	gap	in	

current	

knowledge

No	or	limited

current	research	

is	being	conducted

I III

Existing current	

research	is	being	

conducted

II IV

This	research	need	has	been	identified	by	one	or	more	subcommittees	of	OSAC	and	is	being	provided	as	an	

informational	resource	to	the	community.

Approvals:

Subcommittee Approval	date:

(Approval	is	by	majority	vote	of	subcommittee.	Once	approved,	forward	to	SAC.)

SAC

1.		Does	the	SAC	agree	with	the	research	need? Yes x No

2.		Does	the	SAC	agree	with	the	status	assessment? Yes x No

If	no,	what	is	the	status	assessment	of	the	SAC:

Approval	date: 17-Mar-2016

(Approval	is	by	majority	vote	of	SAC.		Once	approved,	forward	to	NIST	for	posting.)