Forensic Science Name: ______________________________________ Period: ______

A. Document Analysis
a. A questioned document is any _______________________,
________________________, typewriting, or other written
mark whose ___________________ or authenticity is in
dispute or uncertain.
i. This may include _________________, certificates,
licenses, ___________________, ______________,
_________________, contracts, ________________
tickets, suicide or _________________ notes, and receipts.
b. Document Analysis is the examination and ________________________ of questioned documents with
____________________ material.
c. Document experts will investigate handwriting, typewriting or computer printouts, commercial printing,
and type of _________________ and ____________ used.
d. Like fingerprints, handwriting is unique to each individual.
e. In _______________, the U.S. Court of ____________________ decided that handwriting analysis does
qualify as a form of ___________________ testimony. As a result, handwriting evidence is admissible in
court as long as scientifically accepted guidelines are followed.

B. Handwriting
a. Despite minor variations due to type of writing __________________________, _______________, age
or stress, everyone’s handwriting has their own unique ___________________.
b. Experts examine 12 major characteristics of handwriting:
i. _________________ Quality- Do the letters flow or are they erratic and
shaky?
ii. ______________________- Are the letters equally spaced or crowded?
iii. _________________ Consistency- Is the ratio of height to width
consistent or inconsistent?
iv. Continuous- Is the writing continuous or does the writer lift the pen?
v. _______________________ Letters- Are capital and lowercase letter
connected and continuous or not?
vi. Lettering Complete- Are the letters formed completely or are parts missing?
vii. ____________________ and Printed Letters- Are the letters printed, written in cursive, or both?
viii. Pen ________________________- Is the pressure equal or unequal when applied to upward and
downward strokes?
ix. _________________- Is there a slant? Is it left, right, or variable?

x. _________________ Habits- Is the text on, above, or below the line?

xi. _________________ Curls or Loops- Are there fancy curls or loops on any of the letters?
xii. Placement of _________________ on t’s and _______________ on i’s- Is the placement correct?
Are t’s crossed high, low, or middle? Are the dots on the i to the left, right, or centered?
c. Experts can also look at formatting, such as the _________________ a writer leaves empty on the page.
C. Handwriting Analysis
a. In order to analyze handwriting, a forensic expert also needs an ________________________, which is a
known sample of the suspect’s writing, which can be compared to the questioned document.
i. These might include letters, _____________________, _________________, or personal notes.
ii. When these are unavailable, a suspect can be asked to write a sample under supervision;
however it is best not to inform the suspect of the ________________________ of comparison.
b. The expert will examine the questionable document for detectable ______________________ and
record them.
c. Finally, the expert will compare and draw conclusions about the authorship of the questionable
document.
i. Two writings came from one person if their similarities are _________________________ and
no __________________________________ differences are found.

D. Tools Used for Handwriting Analysis

a. Initial comparisons are done with the naked eye, a handheld
____________, or ___________________________.
b. Later, _____________________ spectroscopes may be used to
determine if more than one type of _______________ was used,
based on ___________________________ of light absorbed and
reflected by each type of ink.
c. Technology can also assist experts in analysis
i. __________________________ Signature Pads are
programmed to evaluated the _________________,
pressure, and rhythm of a person’s signature and are
able to recognize how a person writes so that it can
easily ___________________ differences and recognize
forgeries.
ii. _________________, the Forensic Information System for Handwriting, is a computerized
database maintained by the Secret Service. Like other databases, a sample can be
______________________ and compared.

E. Forgery
a. Forgery is a process used by criminals to make, alter, or
_____________________ a person’s signature or a document with the
intent to ____________________ another person.
b. When a material gain accompanies a forgery, it is called
__________________________________.
c. In cases of forgery, a document expert will determine whether the
document is forged, then a _______________ or _________________ will
determine if the writer’s ___________________ was to defraud.
d. Commonly forged documents
i. ______________________- It is estimated that 27 _________________ dollars in illegitimate
checks are cashed daily
1. Criminals will ________________________ someone else’s checks from a deposit slip,
_________________ checks, intercept someone else’s check to alter and cash, and can
even create forged checks from scratch
2. Gatherings of a _________________ numbers of people are ideal for the passing of
fraudulent checks and counterfeit money.
a. It has been estimated that at the Atlanta, XXVI Olympic Games in 1996, there
were over $4 million fraudulent travelers checks alone, not to mention the
printing of phony tickets for events.
 ii. ________________________ documents- letters from
________________________ world figures, scientists,
and authors
1. Quality forgeries aim to duplicate the
______________________ found in the original
a. ________________ paper can be found
in old books
b. Materials can also be chemically
treated to look older
c. Inks from materials at that time
d. ________________________ to add
the appearance of age
e. Use of ___________________ and __________________ that were popular at
the time
e. Types of Forgery
i. ________________________ simulation- attempt to copy a signature or handwriting sample
ii. ________________________-placing a new document over the original and tracing it
iii. ________________________ writing- Attempting to __________________ writing so it cannot
be traced back (Ex. Ransom note or threat)

iv. ________________________- Removing, adding, or changing a portion of the original.

1. Four ways to alter:
a. ____________________________
i. Using an ____________________, knife, _________________________,
or sharp tool to erase part of a document
b. ____________________________
i. Burning, ________________________, or using a __________________
to get rid of a document
c. ____________________________
i. Adding or changing words, dates, and numbers
d. ____________________________
i. Overwrites a portion of the document, for example changing a ______
to a _______

F. Counterfeit
a. Counterfeiting is the production of an _______________________
of _________________________, __________________________,
documents, and _____________ - _________________ knock-off
items for the purpose of deception.
b. Common counterfeited items include currency, traveler’s checks,
________________ stamps, bonds, __________________ stamps,
and _________________ certificates.
 c. Counterfeit Currency
i. Counterfeiting money is one of the ___________________
crimes. Following the Civil War, it was estimated that 1/3 to 1/2
of the currency in circulation was counterfeit.
ii. The ____________________ ______________________was
established in 1865 to suppress counterfeiting. It is in charge of
investigating counterfeit US currency, a crime that is punishable
with up to ________ years in prison.
1. In 1901, the Secret Service was tasked to
_________________________ the President.
iii. Security features are added to paper currency that
__________________________ cannot reproduce.
iv. Regular printer paper contains __________________________; Paper currency contains rag
__________________________ instead of starch.
1. Not only does counterfeit paper often ___________________ different, but it can easily
be tested with an ________________________ pen that turns ____________________-
____________________ when in contact with starch in the counterfeit paper.

2. However some criminals will _______________________ $1 bills and print higher values
on them to beat this test so the government has added additional security features,
including security thread, special fibers woven throughout, watermarks, and special
designs that are hard to replicate.

Activity: Copy the following sentence and numbers in the space below and look for unique characteristics in your
handwriting. When finished, compare and discuss with a classmate. (Do you know why this sentence is used?)
Copy: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 1234567890