FRS 401: Introduction to Questioned Documents

 

 

 

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of meaning, types, nature, problems and importance of questioned documents;
2. describe location, collection procedure, handling and presentation of questioned documents;
3. examine and determine alterations, erasures, overwriting, additions and obliterations on questioned documents;
4. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of detection methods such as detection and deciphering of indented writing, charred documents and invisible/secret writing;
5. describe composition of major types of ink, ink analysis and ink dating;
6. identify and compare typescripts;
7. determine physical characteristics of paper, water mark, fiber composition and perform trace elemental analysis;
8. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of principle of handwriting, individual and class characteristics, and physical factors affecting handwriting; and,
9. identify authentic, forged, disguised and traced signatures and describe factors affecting the signature of individuals.

Course Contents

Questioned Documents: definition, types, importance, nature and problems. Location, collection, handling and presentation of documents. Adequacy of examples and standards. Examination of alterations, erasures, overwriting, additions and obliterations. Methods of Detection: detection and deciphering of indented writing, charred documents, invisible/secret writing. Ink examination: composition of major types (carbon ink, fountain pen ink, ballpoint pen ink, rolling ball marker inks, fibre or porous tips pen ink). Analysis of writing inks and ink dating; Analysis of documents: pencil lead examination and age of the documents. Identification and comparison of typescripts. Paper analysis: physical characteristic, water mark examination, fibre analysis, chemical and trace elemental analysis. Equipment required: camera, microscope, reference standards, TLC and HPLC. Handwriting and signature: identification, principle of handwriting, individual and class handwriting characteristics. External, internal and physical characteristics affecting the

handwriting; Signatures: authentic, forged, disguised and traced signatures and their characteristics. Factors affecting the signature of individuals.