Standards Resources

General Standards Development 

• Access to Standards. Learn more about the standards-developing organizations (SDOs) that OSAC works with and how to access forensic science standards.
• OSAC Standards Bulletin. Published on the first Tuesday of each month, this OSAC communication provides information about the forensic science standards undergoing the Registry approval and SDO processes.
• NIST Standards.gov website. The NIST Standards Coordination Office maintains this website to help users better understand documentary standards and conformity assessment. 

Drafting Standards 

• UPDATED Mandatory Requirements for Standards Development. OSAC's Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) has identified nine topics as priorities for standards development. OSAC's Mandatory Requirements for Standards Development document specifies the minimum topics that OSAC's SACs and subcommittees must address when drafting standards in these areas.
• OSAC Guidance Documents expand on OSAC's Mandatory Requirements for Standards Development document and provide additional guidance to OSAC's SACs and subcommittees when drafting or revising standards.
  • OSAC Guidance Document: Drafting and Updating Standards on Reports and Testimony. This document provides guidance to OSAC's SACs and subcommittees on drafting standards for forensic science reporting, interpretations, opinions, and testimony regarding results.
  • OSAC Guidance Document: Drafting and Updating Standards on Performance Monitoring. This document provides guidance to OSAC's SACs and subcommittees for drafting standards for the administration of performance monitoring activities. It includes requirements and recommendations to be included when drafting standards for proficiency testing, intra- or inter-laboratory comparison testing, and observation-based monitoring.
• NEW OSAC's Standards Review Rubric. This tool, aligned with the topics in OSAC's Mandatory Requirements for Standards Development document,  is designed to streamline the drafting and review of documents for placement on the Registry. It is also used to review OSAC Technical Guidance Documents.
  • These rubric questions will be addressed by OSAC subcommittees as they draft standards and by the Scientific Area Committees (SACs) and the Standards Review Panel (SRP) as they review standards for the Registry.
  • The rubric scoring model will be used to determine if a standard is approved for the Registry.   
• A Guide to Writing World-Class Standards. Available from the European Standards Organization, ETSI, this guide provides information about the standards development process, how to write good requirements, and other resources.

Commenting on Standards 

• Standards Open for Comment. Visit this OSAC webpage to see a complete list of the OSAC Proposed and SDO published standards that are open for comment. OSAC updates this information weekly – check back often and provide your input!  

Using Standards 

• OSAC Registry Implementation. Explore this OSAC webpage to learn more about the strategies, resources, and other tools forensic science service providers can use to help them implement the standards on the OSAC Registry.  
• OSAC Registry Implementation Resources. Visit this webpage to access articles, webinars, and workflows to support your implementation efforts.
• As part of NIST’s cooperative agreement with AAFS, standards factsheets and checklists are available to support standards implementation.
  • Standards factsheets provide a concise summary of a standard and facilitate a broader understanding of its purpose, why it is needed, and the benefits of adoption. These factsheets summarize the contents of standards on the OSAC Registry. They are not intended to provide an interpretation for any portion of a standard.
  • Standards checklists provide a tool for a forensic science service provider to evaluate the level of implementation and/or audit conformance to a standard. A checklist is a supplementary tool and should not be used independently - it must be used in conjunction with the standard. Copies of standards are available through the SDO. Each checklist is specific to a version of a standard and not all sections of a standard may be included in a checklist. Checklists are not intended to provide an interpretation for any portion of a standard.