1. Scientific Method
Application to Criminalistics and
Forensics

2. What is Forensics?
• Forensics is the application of science to the law
that is enforced by local law enforcement.
• There two critical pieces that make up forensics
(also known as criminalistics):
– Crime Scene investigator: The people who interpret
what is and is not evidence at a crime scene, as well
as putting together the puzzle of what happened.
– Laboratory technicians: The people who are the
experts at analyzing evidence (prints, DNA, etc.)

3. The most common subjects
• Chemistry • Fingerprints
• Biology • Odontology
• Firearms/ballistics • Engineering
• Document • Geology
examination • Entomology
• Toxicology/drug • Physics
analysis

4. Scientific method
• In science, as you all know, we use the
scientific method to answer questions.
• What are the parts of the scientific method?
• Make an observation
• Form a hypothesis
• Create/perform an experiment
• Scientific Theory
• Scientific Law

5. What does it look like in Forensics?
If hypothesis is false Make slight modifications
Observations Hypothesis Experiment Theory Experiments
Collect evidence
Observations Experiments Conclusion/final Wait for more
hypothesis evidence to appear
Collect evidence
Turn the case over to
the judicial system
There is a constant evolution of the
original ideas based on the evidence found
and the conclusions made.

6. Lab write-ups
• Title • Procedure
– Details, details, details.
• Background information
– Done before the labs • Data collection
– Observations, data tables,
Calculations
• Purpose
• Presenting data and
• Hypothesis Graphs
– Pictures of scene
• Diagram
– Pictures of apparatus used • Conclusion
with labels – Analyze the data

7. Expectations on labs
• Do your own work!
• Organization and neatness counts
– If I can’t read it or find it then its worthless
• Complete analysis of evidence
– Analyzing evidence is the point of this class
• Thorough conclusions in complete
sentences
– Prove to me you know what you are talking
about