8127/frame/fm

 
Robert Heinlein
 
—
Anne, the Fair Witness.
 
 Stranger in a Strange Land
 
A.
Communicating Your Results
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
A report should clearly and completely convey your conclusions about the
evidence in a case. Your report is the work product that will reach more
people than any other aspect of your work. Most scientists possess notori-
ously poor communications skills, particularly technical writing skills. The
scientist must take responsibility for communicating his results and conclu-
sions, using thoughtful wording that clearly conveys the intended meaning
of the data. The report should be organized, easy to read, and written in
grammatically correct English. In other words, the burden should be on the
scientist, not the reader, to ensure that written communication is effective in
disseminating the scientist’s opinion.
 
a.