Document Examination

 

My name is Randy E. Gibson. I'm a Forensic Document Examiner. The purpose of this site is to let you know a little bit about the field of Forensic Document Examination.

Forensic Document Examination v. Graphology

Graphologists claim to be able to determine personality traits based on an examination of your handwriting. I personally have as much faith in this as I do the astrological forecasts in the newspaper...in other words, not much.

But I still read my horoscope occasionally. Why? Because it's fun! So if you want to have a graphologist examine your handwriting, go ahead. Enjoy yourself.

But asking a graphologist to do Forensic Document Examination is like asking an astrologer to help you land a rocket on the moon. Graphologists and Forensic Document Examiners look at some of the same things (handwriting) but using different methods and for different purposes.

What Can Forensic Document Examiners Do?

Mostly we look at handwriting and handprinting to determine authorship. "Was the signature on Grandpa's will really signed by Grandpa?", is something we may be asked.

But we also try to answer questions like: "What photocopier was used to copy these hate letters"; or "What did this note say before it went through the shredder?"

Training to be a Forensic Document Examiner

There is only one way to become a Forensic Document Examiner. You can't get a degree in it. You can't learn it from a correspondence course. The only way to become a Forensic Document Examiner is to serve a two-year, full-time apprenticeship with a qualified Forensic Document Examiner. During this two years, along with learning the easier aspects, you will examine thousands of samples of handwriting, and learn the common and uncommon characteristics that make writing identifiable.

I hope I've answered a few of your questions about the field of Forensic Document Examination. If you have any other questions, please visit my other site at www.forensic-documents.com.

Thanks for stopping by.