The Idea of Progress in Forensic Authorship Analysis

This Element examines progress in research and practice in forensic authorship analysis, focusing on the recognition of contextual bias, the need for validation studies, and the shift in logic of providing identification evidence. It proposes that the focus should shift to validation of protocols for approaching case questions, rather than on validation of systems or general approaches.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 19 May 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This Element examines the progress in research and practice in forensic authorship analysis, exploring the existing research base and examining the factors that make an authorship analysis more or less reliable. It also delves into the recent history of forensic science, particularly the scientific revolution brought about by the invention of DNA evidence. The author charts the rise of three major changes in forensic science, including the recognition of contextual bias in analysts, the need for validation studies, and the shift in logic of providing identification evidence.

The Element addresses the idea of progress in forensic authorship analysis in terms of these three issues with regard to new knowledge about the nature of authorship and methods in stylistics and stylometry. The author proposes that the focus needs to shift from validation of systems or general approaches to validation of protocols for approaching case questions.

This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Weight: 136g
Dimension: 152 x 227 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108971324