Editing Questioned document examination (section)

===Handwriting examinations===

The examination of handwriting to assess potential authorship proceeds from the above principle of identification by applying it to a comparison of samples of handwritten material. Generally known as ACE-V, there are three stages in the process of examination.<ref name="huber_note"/>

As Huber and Headrick explain in their text, these are as follows:<ref name="huber_note"/>{{rp|34}}
# Analysis or Discriminating Element Determination:<blockquote>The unknown item and the known items must, by analysis, examination, or study, be reduced to a matter of their discriminating elements. These are the habits of behaviour or of performance (i.e., features or characteristics and, in other disciplines, the properties) that serve to differentiate between products or people which may be directly observable, measurable, or otherwise perceptible aspects of the item.</blockquote>
# Comparison:<blockquote>The discriminating elements of the unknown, observed or determined through analysis, examination, or study, must be compared with those known, observed, or recorded of the standard item(s).</blockquote>
# Evaluation:<blockquote>Similarities or dissimilarities in discriminating elements will each have a certain value for discrimination purposes, determined by their cause, independence, or likelihood of occurrence. The weight or significance of the similarity or difference of each element must then be considered and the explanation(s) for them proposed.</blockquote>
# Optionally, the procedure may involve a fourth step consisting of verification/validation or [[peer review]].

The authors note further that "This process underlies the identification of any matter, person, or thing, by any witness, whether technical, forensic, or not."  As such, it is not a formal method, but rather the elements that go into the method.

[[ASTM]] published a standard guide for the examination of handwriting titled "E2290-07a: Examination of Handwritten Items" which was withdrawn in 2016.<ref name="astm_method">{{cite web | title=Standard Guide for Examination of Handwritten Items (Withdrawn 2016)|author=Subcommittee E30.90 on Executive | publisher=ASTM International| url=https://www.astm.org/e2290-07a.html | access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref>  At that time, it was published as the
''SWGDOC Standard for Examination of Handwritten Items''.<ref>{{cite web |title=SWGDOC Standard for Examination of Handwritten Items |url=https://swgdoc.org/documents/SWGDOC%20Standard%20for%20Examination%20of%20Handwritten%20Items.pdf |publisher=SWGDOC|access-date=7 June 2023 |id=E01-13}}</ref> This was superseded in 2022 by the Academy Standards Board document ''Standard for Examination of Handwritten Items''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Academy Standards Board Search |url=https://www.aafs.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/070_Std_e1.pdf|website=AAFS |publisher=ASB Forensic Document Examination Consensus Body |id=ANSI/ASB Standard 70|access-date=7 June 2023}}</ref> Some of the guides listed under "Other Examinations" below also apply to forensic handwriting comparisons (e.g., E444 or E1658).

An alternative guide for the examination of handwriting and signatures has been developed by the Forensic Expertise Profiling Laboratory (School of Human Biosciences, [[La Trobe University]], Victoria, Australia).

The [[European Network of Forensic Science Institutes]] has also published a 'Best Practice Manual for the Forensic Handwriting Examination'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Best Practice Manual for the Forensic Handwriting Examination (ENFSI-BPM-FHX-01 Edition 04 – September 2022) |url=https://enfsi.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/BPM-Handwriting-Ed.-4.pdf |website=Best Practice Manuals and Forensic Guidelines |publisher=ENFSI |access-date=7 June 2023 }}</ref>