Scientific Foundation Reviews

Forensic science plays a crucial role in our criminal justice system. If the right evidence is present, forensic science can help investigators solve crimes, including cases that have long been cold. It can help exclude innocent people from an investigation or exonerate them in cases of wrongful conviction. And it can help juries as they make decisions that have enormous consequences on people’s lives.

But how do we know if we can trust the results of forensic analysis when making important decisions? NIST is helping to answer this question with a series of studies, called "scientific foundation reviews." 

Our approach to conducting these studies, also known as technical merit evaluations, is described in NIST Interagency Report NISTIR 8225: NIST Scientific Foundation Reviews and generally follows these steps:

1. A forensic discipline, method, and/or practice is selected for study
2. Scientific literature and publicly available information are gathered
3. A workshop may be held seeking input from members of the community
4. Team of NIST scientists and outside experts meet, discuss, and draft report and supplemental documents
5. Information is shared and received at forensic conferences during the deliberation phase
6. Draft reports are made available for public comment along with supplemental documents and all public comments received are shared
7. After considering public comments, reports are finalized and made available on NIST website

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These scientific foundation reviews will be useful in a number of ways. First, they can help establish trust in methods that, when properly applied, rest on solid scientific foundations. Second, they can help forensic practitioners, investigators, courts and other stakeholders understand the capabilities and limitations of forensic methods and help ensure that those methods are used appropriately. Third, by identifying knowledge gaps, they can help provide strategic direction for future research.

These studies will also fulfill a critical need identified in a landmark 2009 report by the National Academy of Sciences. Titled Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, that report called for “studies establishing the scientific bases demonstrating the validity of forensic methods.” In addition, in 2016, the National Commission on Forensic Science recommended that NIST “conduct independent scientific evaluations of the technical merit of test methods and practices used in forensic science disciplines.” The U.S. Congress appropriated funds for NIST to conduct these reviews starting in 2018.

Each scientific foundation review will result in a report that will be freely available on this website. If you’d like to receive an alert when the reports are published or when related information becomes available, please sign up for our email list.

Final Reports

Digital Evidence

The field of digital forensics is constantly changing as new devices and applications become available. This review documents and evaluates the scientific foundations of digital evidence examination and recommends steps to advance the field. 

Bitemark Analysis

Bitemark analysis is a forensic technique in which marks on the skin of a biting victim are compared with the teeth of a suspected biter. In addition to a review of the scientific literature, this review includes a report from an October 2019 workshop, hosted by the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Science (CSAFE), where odontologists, researchers, statisticians, lawyers and other experts addressed scientific questions around bitemark analysis. 

Reports Forthcoming

DNA Mixture Interpretation

DNA evidence that contains very small quantities of DNA or a mixture of DNA from several people can be difficult to interpret reliably. This review focuses on the methods that forensic labs use when interpreting these challenging types of DNA evidence. More information about the NIST Interagency Report 8351-DRAFT “DNA Mixture Interpretation: A NIST Scientific Foundation Review” is available on the report's home page.

Firearm Examination

Forensic firearm experts can assess whether a specific gun was used in a crime by examining bullets and cartridge cases under a comparison microscope. This study will document the scientific foundations of that method and assess its reliability by evaluating the scientific literature on error rates.

Footwear Impressions

Performing forensic footwear examinations involves photographing and collecting footwear impressions from a crime scene, analyzing the evidence in the lab and comparing the marks to known footwear impressions on the same or similar substrate. The NIST scientific review on footwear impressions will aim to identify what established scientific laws and principles underpin the forensic science methods and what publicly available empirical data exist to support the methods practitioners use to analyze the evidence.

Events

Communicating Forensic Findings (June 25-26, 2024) - Workshop complete and team in development