Document Examination Expert Witness On Report Writing Part 1

In Report Writing and Opinion Terminology, document examination expert witness Ronald N. Morris writes:
INTRODUCTION At the conclusion of the analysis phase of an examination and comparison, the Forensic Document Examiner (FDE) writes a report that should be complete, standing on its own without having to rely on the availability of other documents for descriptions. The results of this analysis should be easy to understand. He uses language to accomplish this purpose, but because language is not always precise, the same words can have different meanings, or slightly different meanings, to different people. This is particularly true when he states his conclusions using probability statements. The purpose of this paper is to assist the reader in:
A. Understanding the format of a questioned document report B. The way examined documents should be described and how the appropriate probability statements are chosen by the FDE C. The language and terms are chosen to express the conclusions reached in the examination D. How the language and terms should be interpreted and understood by the reader of the report.
Additionally, the probability statements in this paper are those used by the author and are in accordance with terminology in the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard/guideline, Designation: E 1658-04. The probability statements, discussion, and examples in that standard/guideline, are clearly written and easily understood, because they are not complicated.