QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION MIDTERMS
HANDWRITING IDENTIFICATION
- Handwriting is both a mental and muscular activity. The
distinguishing marks over a handwriting depends on
the mental and muscular capacity of a writer. This
provides a peculiar writing characteristics involving a
singles and individual handwriting. With the reason,
handwriting examination is a credible personal
identification tool using the scientific principles on
handwriting comparison and identification.
HANDWRITING
- Is the result of a very complicated series of acts being
as a whole, a combination of certain form of visible
mental and muscular habits acquired by a long
continued painstaking effort. Some defined
handwriting as “visible speech.”
GRAPHOLOGY
- Is the analysis of the physical characteristics and
patterns of handwriting purporting to be able to
identify the writer, indicating psychological state at the
time of writing, or evaluating personality
characteristics. It is generally considered a
pseudoscience.
NATURAL WRITING
- is the highest form of an individual’s writing consisting of
his normal writing habits and which is regularly being
executed by a writer.
DISGUISED
- connotes the idea of an attempt to change the normal
writing habits with the hope of hiding once identity or to
be able to imitate the writings of other person.
GUIDED WRITING
- The lowest specimen of writing degree is the also
referred to as assisted writing which is commonly
employed by those with whom writing is but a new
experience or those because of their age or physical
condition could not be able to write on their own.
PRINCIPLE IN HANDWRITING IDENTIFICATION
- When any two specimens of handwritings contain a
combination of corresponding or similar and
specifically oriented characteristics of such number
and significance as to preclude the possibility of their
occurrence by mere coincidence, and there are no
unaccounted for difference, it may be concluded that
they are similar in writing characteristics and therefore
written by one and the same person.
- Handwritings are fixed habits.
- These writing habits like habits of speech become so
automatic and unconscious that even by the most
strenuous effort, it is almost impossible to change
them. It is one of the most permanent of human
habits.
- No duplication of handwriting by two individuals
DEVELOPMENT OF HANDWRITING
• Step 1 – When a person first begins to learn the art of
handwriting, penmanship copybook form of
blackboard illustration of the different letters is placed
before him.
• Step 2 – As the person progresses, the matter of the
forms recedes, and the focus of attention is centered
on the execution of various letters, that is they are
actually writing instead of drawing.
• Step 3 – The manual operation is the execution of
letters, after more progress, likewise soon relegated to
the subjective mind and the process of writing
becomes more or less automatic.
PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF HANDWRITING
Two Groups of Muscles Involve in Handwriting:
• EXTENSOR MUSCLES - push up the pen to form the
upward strokes
• FLEX MUSCLES - which push the pen to from the
downward strokes.
Generally speaking, four groups of muscles are employed in
writing - those which operate the joints of the fingers, wrist,
elbow, and shoulder. The delicate way in which the various
muscles used in writing work together to produce written form is
known as motor coordination.
FACTORS THAT AFFECTS WRITING CHARACTERISTICS
1. Natural Variations – is the usual or normal deviation found in a
repeated specimen of an individual’s handwriting or in the
product of any typewriter.
2. Transitory Change – are meant to those changes which only
continue to exist while the basic cause of the deterioration is still
affecting the writer,once the such cause has been removed from
the writer, the writing will reverts in its normal form.
3. Tremor – is the weakening of the strokes characterized by a
wavering or shaky strokes.
Kinds of Tremor
1. Genuine Tremor – show some free connecting and terminal
stroke made by the momentum of the hand. This is due to
sickness, weakness, disease or old age.
2. Tremor of illiteracy – characterized by irregularity due to the
lack of will and mental uncertainty as to the form of general
clumsiness, resulting from unfamiliarity with the whole writing
process.
3. Tremor of fraud – which is drawn even though quite perfect in
general form, shows but little, if any freedom and will often show
hesitation at the wrong places and tremor slowly placed.
Kinds of Handwriting
1. Cursive – Writing in which the letters are for the most
part joined together.
2. Script – separated or printed writing.
3. Block – all CAPITAL LETTERS
QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION MIDTERMS
Types of Movement
1. Finger Movement – - the thumb, the first, second and
slightly the third fingers are in actual motion. Most
usually employed by children and illiterates.
2. Hand Movement – produced by the movement or action
of the whole hand with the wrist as the center of
attraction.
3. Forearm Movement – the movement of the shoulder,
hand and arm with the support of the table.
4. Whole Forearm Movement - action of the entire arm
without resting. i.e., blackboard writing.
ELEMENTS OF WRITING
1. PENLIFT - an interruption is strokes caused by sudden
removal of the writing instrument from the paper
surface.
2. PEN EMPHASIS - is the act of intermittently forcing the
pen against the paper surface with an increase in speed.
3. PEN POSITION - is the relative location of the pen in
relation to the paper surface.
4. PEN PRESSURE - is the average or usual pressure applied
in the writing.
5. PEN SCOPE - represents the reach of the hand with the
wrist at rest.
6. RETOUCHING/PATCHING - is a stroke, which goes back
over a defective portion of a writing to repair or correct
an error.
7. RETRACING - is the strokes which goes back over another
writing strokes that is slightly to occur in other’s writing.
8. RHYTM - is the harmonious or balance recurrence of
strokes or impulses.
9. SHADING - refers to the more obvious increase in the
width of the letter strokes.
10. SKILL - refers to the degree of writer’s proficiency in
writing
11. SPEED - cannot be measured precisely from the finished
handwriting but it can be interpreted in broad term as to
either fast, slow or moderate.
RYTHYM AND HANDEDNESS IN WRITING
RHYTHM
- is a succession of connected, uniform strokes working in
full coordination. This is manifested by clear-cut
accentuated strokes, which increase and decrease in
which like perfect cones. Pressure is always in a state of
change moving from light to heavy or from heavy to light.
LACK OF RHYTHM
- Characterized by a succession of awkward, independent,
poorly directed and disconnected motions.
IMPORTANCE OF RHYTHM
- By studying the rhythm of the succession of strokes, one
can determine if the writer normally and spontaneously
or write with hesitation as if he is attempting to for
another signature.
HANDEDNESS
- refers to the hand that is typically preferred to write
with. Typically divided into two, the right-handed and
left-handed.
The Zones in Handwriting
• Mid Zone – the beginning points for most handwriting
considerations. It is where the most things take place
in general, where they tend to start and where they
tend to end.
• Upper Zone – area where letter and characters reach
up toward the upper part of the page such as in the
top of capitals or in letters a small “h”.
• Lower Zone – area where letters and characters reach
down towards the bottom edge of the page such in the
small cursive letters “p”, “z” and “y”.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HANDWRITING
• SKILL LEVEL
o HIGH LEVEL – produces writing that is fluent,
rhythmic, perhaps artistically embellished and in
short, aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
o LOW LEVEL – produces a product that is hesitating
slowly executed, may contain grotesque, although
repeated letter formations, and in general, is not
very pleasing to the eye.
• SLANT OR INCLINATIONS – refers to the angle of
inclinations of writing or a letter of writing from the base
line of that writing. It may be forward and leaning to the
right or “backhand” if it leans to the left.
• FORM - is the pictorial representation of a letter or writing
movement. A highly visible dissimilarity in the form of the
same letter found in both the question and standard
material is an inherent difference in handwriting.
• MOVEMENT - this is the way the pen moves in order to
form a letter. Some parts of the movement have been
historically referred to as:
o Garland if the pen moves overhand, or clockwise ,
producing rounded letter formations, or
o Arcade if the pen moves underhand, or
counterclockwise, producing saw-toothed letter.
• PROPORTION - generally refers to the symmetry of an
individual letter.
• HEIGHT RATIO - are a comparison or correlation of the
height of one letter or letter segment to another letter
usually within the same word or signature. One would
expect all capital letters in the same writing system to
maintain the height throughout the body of writing.
• The “i” dot - a portion of writing as small and as
innocuous as an “’i” at time becomes prominent
identifying characteristics.
• The “T” crossing - T crossing occupy much the same
weight or more, for the document examiner as the “i “
dot does. A “t “ crossing may go from right to left, left
to right; it may incline up, incline down, or be perfectly
horizontal.
QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION MIDTERMS

• LOOPS - found in a cursively written letter may be
symmetrical or may be flat on one side and therefore
be asymmetrical. They may be thin or bulbous. They
may be rounded at the apex or may be sharply pointed
like a needle.
• PREASSURE/SHADING - is the average force with which
the pen comes in contact with the paper or the usual
force involves in the writing.
• ALIGNMENT TO BASELINE - This is simply the
relationship of the writing to the baseline.
• EMBELLISHMENT - are most often located at the
beginning of a letter but may be throughout the
written material. They usually take the form of an
added movement that decorates the writing.
• ENTRY/EXIT - The entry and exit strokes of a letter may
repeat themselves in similar letter formations such as
“U’s”, “V’s”
• RETRACING - retracing is the process wherein the pen
reinks a written portion of the line, usually in the
opposite directions, such as a downward movement
followed by the upward movement in the existing line.
• FORMAT - the format of a disputed document may
additionally be an identifying characteristics.
• DIACRITICS - is a glyph added to a letter or basic glyph.
A sign added to complete a letter.
• HIATUS - is a gap between strokes due to speed in
writing and defective writing instruments.
• Central Part of the Body - the part of a letter ordinarily
formed by a small circle that usually lies on the line of
writing, as the bodies of a, b, d, g, o, p.
• Dactus Broken or Junction Broken - the disconnected
and non-continuous stroke between two letters.
• Knob - found either at the beginning or end of letters,
both small and capital in which the pen touched or left
of the paper so slowly that a tiny pool of ink spread
slightly.
• Space Filter or Terminal Spur - an upward horizontal or
downward final stroke usually seen in small letters
such as a, s, u, y.
• Whirl - the upward stroke, usually on letters that have
a high loops such as h, d, and I.
• Lateral Spacing – three types of spacing: (a) Space
between Letters (b) Space between words (c) space
between lines.
• Central Part of the Body - the part of a letter ordinarily
formed by a small circle that usually lies on the line of
writing, as the bodies of a, b, d, g, o, p.
• Dactus Broken or Junction Broken - the disconnected
and non-continuous stroke between two letters.

PARTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL LETTERS

• HITCH - the introductory backward stroke added to the
beginning of many capital letters; it is also occasionally
found in some small letters.
• ARC - the bend, crook, or curve on the inner side of the
upr loop of such letters as c, h, m, n, etc.
• BUCKLE KNOT - the horizontal and looped strokes that
are often used to complete such letters as A, F, f, H and
D.
• BLUNT - the beginning and ending strokes of letters,
both small and capital, in which the pen touch the
paper without hesitation, beard, Hitch or knob.
• BASELINE - Imaginary or ruled line upon which writing
rest.
• LINE QUALITY - Visible record in the written strokes od
the basic movement and manner of holding the writing
instrument.
• HUMP - the rounded outer side of the top of the bend,
crook, or curve in small letters such as h, k, m, n.
• EYELET - the small loop formed by strokes that extend
in divergent directions as in b, c, f, k, p. q, r, s, v, w, and
z.
• HOOK OR THROUGH - the bend, crook, or curve on the
inner side of the bottom loop or curve of small letters.
• INITIAL SPUR - The long initial rising stroke of a letter.