ABSTRACT
A. Communicating Your Results .............................................................. 274 1. Writing a Report............................................................................ 274
a. Is a Written Report Obligatory?............................................ 274 b. What Information Should Be in a Report?.......................... 276 c. Language ................................................................................. 279 d. Significant Figures.................................................................. 284
2. The Big Picture .............................................................................. 284 3. Testimony....................................................................................... 286
a. Personal Preparation.............................................................. 287 b. Preparing with Your Attorney Client.................................... 289
i. The Danger of “Expert Attorneys” ................................. 291 4. Be Familiar with Legal Rules and Procedures............................. 291 5. Admissibility Hearings .................................................................. 292 6. Educating the Judge and the Jury ................................................ 292 7. The Ethics of Communicating Your Conclusions ...................... 292 8. Navigating the Testimonial Wilderness — Pitfalls, Traps,
and Ambushes ............................................................................... 293 a. Reasonable Certainty ............................................................. 293 b. Know What You Did.............................................................. 294 c. Knowing When to Say “I Don’t Know” ............................... 294 d. Yes or No................................................................................. 294 e. Agreement by Default ............................................................ 295 f. Demeanor of the Expert........................................................ 295 g. Review Your Testimony.......................................................... 295
B. Expressing Opinions — How Far Should the Analyst Go?............... 296 C. Summary ............................................................................................... 297 References ...................................................................................................... 297
Forensic science is an applied science, and it is the legal arena to which the science is applied. Because of this, the way in which we communicate our results is just as important as the results themselves. Incomplete, misleading, or simply poor representation of the results from a forensic analysis can be just as deadly as a sample switch. Just as a brilliant analysis fails to save you from asking the wrong question, a poorly written report or unclear testimony can instantly obscure your otherwise convincing results. In this section, we’ll concentrate mostly on the mechanics of clear communication. However, by its very nature, the subtle variations in how a set of results are presented begins to verge on a discussion of ethics. We’ll save most of that for Chapter 12, but will make a few comments here when the material requires it.
1. Writing a Report
