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Back to the OSAC Lexicon

Reference Sample

material from a known source used for comparison purposes in a forensic process. Discussion—(1) This includes biological material taken from a person (for example, hair, blood, saliva), and non-biological material (for example, carpet, paint, fabric). (2) A reference sample can be taken from an item to ensure the substrate has no adverse effect on the performance of the test. (3) A reference sample can be used to address the question of the source of an unknown sample, one would compare the unknown sample with a reference sample.
Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
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