forensic

Forensic refers to the application of scientific methods to questions of law. It involves the collection, analysis, and presentation of evidence in ways that are scientifically valid and legally admissible. The term, derived from the Latin forensis, denotes material examined in court proceedings.

Forensic science is a broad field with subdisciplines such as pathology, toxicology, serology and DNA analysis, ballistics, anthropology, questioned document examination, psychiatry, and digital forensics. It supports investigations, helps identify individuals, reconstruct events, and determine time and cause of death.

Workflows typically include scene documentation, evidence collection, chain of custody, laboratory analysis, and report production. Results are conveyed through written reports and expert testimony. Techniques require validation, quality assurance, and transparent reporting of limitations and uncertainty.

Legal admissibility follows standards such as Daubert or Frye in various jurisdictions, which assess whether methods are scientifically valid and relevant to the case. Ethical considerations include privacy, risk of bias, and the potential to overstate certainty in testimony. Ongoing training and strict methodological controls are emphasized to maintain credibility.

Digital forensics has become integral, analyzing data from computers, mobile devices, networks, and cloud services. This area addresses data recovery, provenance, metadata, and the interpretation of digital artifacts. Debates continue about methodological reliability, standardization, and the limits of inference, with an emphasis on rigorous science to support legal decision making.