USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Publications
Error and its meaning in forensic science.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2014
ISSN
0022-1198
Abstract
The discussion of “error” has gained momentum in forensic science in the wake of the Daubert guidelines and has intensified with the National Academy of Sciences’ Report. Error has many different meanings, and too often, forensic practitioners themselves as well as the courts misunderstand scientific error and statistical error rates, often confusing them with practitioner error (or mistakes). Here, we present an overview of these concepts as they pertain to forensic science applications, discussing the difference between practitioner error (including mistakes), instrument error, statistical error, and method error. We urge forensic practitioners to ensure that potential sources of error and method limitations are understood and clearly communicated and advocate that the legal community be informed regarding the differences between interobserver errors, uncertainty, variation, and mistakes.
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Recommended Citation
Christensen, A.M., Crowder, C.M., Ousley, S.D., & Houck, M.M. (2014). Error and its meaning in forensic science. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 59, 123-126 doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.12275
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Citation only. Full-text article is available through licensed access provided by the publisher. Members of the USF System may access the full-text of the article through the authenticated link provided.