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The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science

OSAC Lexicon

The OSAC Lexicon is a compendium of forensic science terms and definitions. This terminology tool was created to help bring consistency and understanding to the way terms are used by the various forensic science. Use of the OSAC Lexicon does not replace the need to reference the original published source.

The terms and definitions in the OSAC Lexicon come from the published literature, including documentary standards and technical reports. It is continually updated with the latest work from OSAC units, as well as terms from newly published documentary standards and standards elevated to the OSAC Registry.

Gradually terms are evaluated and harmonized by the OSAC to a single term. This process results in an OSAC Preferred Term. An OSAC Preferred Term is a term, along with its definition, that has undergone review and evaluation by the FSSB Terminology Task Group and has been approved by the FSSB. The FSSB recommends that subcommittees use OSAC Preferred Terms when drafting standards.

The OSAC Lexicon should be the primary resource for terminology and used when drafting and editing forensic science standards and other OSAC work products. 

Displaying 1651 - 1700 of 3629
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Image Processing
in image analysis, any activity that transforms an input image into an output image.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
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
Term link
Image Processing Log
in image analysis, a record of the steps used in the processing of an image.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
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
Term link
Image Registration
the process by which two images are aligned with each other using a geometric transformation.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
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
Term link
Image Restoration
See restoration.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
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
Term link
Image Synthesis
in image and video analysis, any process that renders an image, using computer graphics techniques, for illustrative purposes (that is, age progression, facial reconstruction, and accident/crime scene reconstruction).
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
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
Term link
Image Transmission
in image and video analysis, an act of moving images from one location to another.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
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
Term link
imaging drum

Photoreceptive drum coated with a charge-sensitive material used in the image transfer systems of toner devices. (SWGDOC E05)

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
imaging film

Thin transparent plastic material that covers the item during an examination using an EDD. (ANSI/ASB Std 044)

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Imaging Technology
in image and video analysis, any system or method used to capture, store, process, analyze, transmit, or produce an image. Discussion—Such systems include film, electronic sensors, cameras, video devices, scanners, printers, computers, and so forth.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
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
Term link
Imbricate
a term that describes a scale pattern in which the scales overlap and the edges have an irregular wavy pattern; this pattern is typical of human hair.
Committee
Trace Materials
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
Term link
Immediacy Of Consequences

The timing involved in delivering consequences for a response directly following the response in time. This reduces the likelihood of inadvertently reinforcing/punishing some other behavior. (See reinforcement.)

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Immiscible
descriptive of substances of the same phase or state of matter that cannot be uniformly mixed or blended.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
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
Term link
Immunization

Make an animal immune to infection, typically by inoculation. (See vaccination.)

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Immunize

To make an animal immune to infection, typically by inoculation. (See vaccination.)

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
immunoassay

analytical test that relies upon the interaction between antibodies and antigens (e.g., drugs or drug metabolites)

Committee
Forensic Toxicology
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 208, Forensic Toxicology: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
immunodiffusion

Any of several techniques for obtaining a precipitate between an antibody and its specific antigen by letting both antibody and antigen migrate through the gel from separate wells to form an area of precipitation (also known as ouchterlony double immunodiffusion).

Committee
Wildlife Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 106 Wildlife Forensics—Protein Serology Method for Taxonomic Identification. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2020. Source link
Term link
Impact Pattern
A bloodstain pattern resulting from an object striking liquid blood.
Committee
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB TR 033, Terms and Definitions in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
impact printer

A printer in which printing is the result of mechanical impacts (e.g., dot-matrix, typewheel printer). (SWGDOC E04)

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Impartiality

presence of objectivity

Note 1 to entry: Objectivity means that conflicts of interest do not exist, or are resolved so as not to adversely influence subsequent activities of the laboratory (3.6).

Note 2 to entry: Other terms that are useful in conveying the element of impartiality include freedom from conflict of interests, freedom from bias, lack of prejudice, neutrality, fairness, open-mindedness, even-handedness, detachment, balance. [SOURCE: ISO/IEC 170211:2015, 3.2, modified. The words the certification body have been replaced by the laboratory in Note 1 to entry, and the word independence has been deleted from the list in Note 2 to entry.]

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General Requirements For The Competence Of Testing And Calibration Laboratories. International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission, Chemin de Blandonnet 8, CP 401, 1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland, 2017. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ISO, copyright International Organization for Standardization, 1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland. A copy of the complete standard may be purchased from ISO, https://www.iso.org/store.html
Term link
impartiality

objectivity with regard to the outcome of a conformity assessment activity
Note 1 to entry: Objectivity can be understood as freedom from bias or freedom from conflicts of interest.
 

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ISO 17000:2020 Conformity assessment — Vocabulary and general principles. International Organization for Standardization BIBC II, Chemin de Blandonnet 8, CP 401, 1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland, 2020. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ISO, copyright International Organization for Standardization, 1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland. A copy of the complete standard may be purchased from ISO, https://www.iso.org/store.html
Term link
impartiality

objectivity with regard to the outcome of an inspection (3.1) 

Note 1 to entry: Objectivity means that conflicts of interest do not exist or are resolved so as not to adversely influence activities of the inspection body (3.2). 

Note 2 to entry: Other terms that are useful in conveying the element of impartiality are: freedom from conflict of interests, freedom from bias, lack of prejudice, neutrality, fairness, open-mindedness, even-handedness, detachment, balance. 

[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 17000:2020, 5.3, modified — In the definition, "conformity assessment activity" has been replaced by "inspection"; Note 1 to entry has been changed and Note 2 to entry has been added.]

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ISO 17020:2026 Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies performing inspection. International Organization for Standardization BIBC II, Chemin de Blandonnet 8, CP 401, 1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland, 2026. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ISO, copyright International Organization for Standardization, 1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland. A copy of the complete standard may be purchased from ISO, https://www.iso.org/store.html
Term link
Impression

A friction ridge image containing friction ridge detail produced on a surface by pressure.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
Impression

The product of direct or indirect physical contact between a footwear or tire and the substrate resulting in the transfer and retention of characteristics of that item.

Committee
Footwear & Tire
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 097, Terminology Used for Forensic Footwear and Tire Evidence. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2026. Source link
Term link
impression

An image formed by pressure. (SWGDOC E11)

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
impression defect

A deviation from the intended evenness in appearance of a character over the entire impression of the character or relative to the impression of another character (see 3.1.266 off-foot). (SWGDOC E04).

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
impression format

The manner in which the paper is embossed or shredded. (SWGDOC E07)

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
impression friction ridge impression

A reproduction of an area of friction ridge skin produced on a substrate by contact or transfer. Impressions may be referred to as exemplar impressions, latent impressions, or questioned impressions (refer to those definitions for further clarification).

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Standard 013 Standard for Friction Ridge Examination Conclusions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Imprinting

A phenomenon by which an animal during a formative stage of life forms a lasting attachment to, and preference for, some object or activity through exposure to the same independent of consequences. Operational usage: A method of initial odor/scent discrimination training.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Improvised Explosive Device (IED)
any combination of items or components that are neither originally designed nor produced to be used in conjunction with each other and, when placed together, constitute a mechanism that has the capability of exploding and causing personal injuries and property damage.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
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
Term link
in-house database

A database of reference material or sequences assembled internally by a forensic laboratory.

Committee
Wildlife Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 111 Standard for Training in Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Analysis for Taxonomic Identification . AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2020. Source link
Term link
Inadvertent Reinforcement

Reinforcement delivered despite the appropriateness of any response on the part of the subject.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Incendiary
chemical compound, metal, or mixture capable of producing intense heat.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
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
Term link
Incendiary Device
a device or mechanism used to initiate an incendiary fire.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
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
Term link
Incendiary Fire

A fire that is intentionally ignited in an area or under circumstances where and when there should not be a fire.

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
incident scene

Location at which a fatal injury or fatal sequence of events was initiated. This may or may not be the death scene.

Committee
Medicolegal Death Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB TR 151 , Medicolegal Death Investigation: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
incident-sterile soil

A soil level in an excavation or grave that does not contain evidence or data relevant to the scene under investigation. It does not mean that it is culturally or archaeologically sterile (e.g., historic or prehistoric artifacts or features may be present but are not related to the event under investigation).

Committee
Forensic Anthropology
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 214, Forensic Anthropology: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2026. Source link
Term link
Incipient Ridge

A friction ridge not fully developed that may appear shorter and thinner in appearancethan fully developed friction ridges.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
INCITS

The InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
Inclusion Scent Check

A type location check in which a scent match is indicated by the canine thereby including an individual as the scent contributor.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
inclusion, inclusionary conclusion

A conclusion for which an individual is a potential contributor of DNA (i.e., cannot be excluded) obtained from an evidentiary sample based on the comparison of DNA data; a statement of inclusion does not confirm that an individual is a source of the DNA.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 139 Reporting DNA Conclusions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2024. Source link
Term link
Incoherent (Compton) Scatter Peaks
spectral artifacts that result from inelastic scattering of the tube target characteristic X-rays by the sample. Discussion—Because energy is lost in inelastic scattering, incoherent scatter peaks occur at a lower energy than the tube target characteristic X-rays.
Committee
Trace Materials
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
Term link
incomplete lineage sorting

A concept in evolutionary theory in which genetic isolation leads to the divergence of descendant species from their common ancestors. Incomplete lineage sorting is reflected in the retention of shared ancestral genetic or morphological characteristics between closely related species.

Committee
Wildlife Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 111 Standard for Training in Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Analysis for Taxonomic Identification . AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2020. Source link
Term link
inconclusive

A determination that no conclusion (i.e., inclusion or exclusion) can be drawn from the comparison of reference data to evidentiary data. This could also result from statistical analyses that fail to provide sufficient support for an inclusion or exclusion.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 139 Reporting DNA Conclusions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2024. Source link
Term link
Inconclusive
the result of a comparison between two hair samples in which similarities and differences were observed in the characteristics of the provided standard and the questioned hair to the extent that the known source of the standard could not be included or excluded as a possible source of the questioned hair.
Committee
Trace Materials
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
Term link
inconclusive

The conclusion that the observed data does not provide more support for one proposition over the other.

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Standard 013 Standard for Friction Ridge Examination Conclusions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
inconclusive (INC)

The conclusion that the observed data does not provide more support for one proposition over the other.

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 166 Best Practice Recommendation for Comparison and Evaluation of Friction Ridge Impressions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2024. Source link
Term link
inconclusive opinion

An opinion expressed when an examination has been undertaken, but the FDE is unable to make a determination with regard to writership or source, for example because of the presence of both similarities and dissimilarities.

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
inconclusive with dissimilarities

The conclusion that the observed data provide more support for the proposition that the impressions originated from different sources rather than the same source; however, there is insufficient support for a Source Exclusion.

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 166 Best Practice Recommendation for Comparison and Evaluation of Friction Ridge Impressions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2024. Source link
Term link
inconclusive with dissimilarities

The conclusion that the observed data provide more support for the proposition that the impressions originated from different sources rather than the same source; however, there is insufficient support for a Source Exclusion.

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Standard 013 Standard for Friction Ridge Examination Conclusions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
inconclusive with similarities

The conclusion that the observed data provide more support for the proposition that the impressions originated from the same source rather than different sources; however, there is insufficient support for a Source Identification.

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 166 Best Practice Recommendation for Comparison and Evaluation of Friction Ridge Impressions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2024. Source link
Term link
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