How we work
Website focus: Forensic trace examination. The specific objects, questions, materials and result format are agreed before work begins.
1. Enquiry
Describe the task, object, available materials and required deliverable. The initial submission makes it possible to assess whether the work is feasible.
2. Preliminary consideration
Competence, sufficiency of materials, need for inspection, limitations and the proposed deliverable format are clarified.
3. Agreeing the order
Before work begins, the subject, questions, cost, timeframe, payment arrangements and delivery of the result are agreed. Additional actions and expenses require agreement.
4. Examination and deliverable
The work is carried out within the agreed scope. If the materials prove insufficient, the next steps are agreed. The deliverable is supplied in the agreed format.
5. Questions after delivery
Send requests for clarification, comments and quality-related claims through the website contact details, identifying the order. Payment, cancellation and refund terms are published in the legal section.
Discuss the task through the website form · Terms of service
Provenance of materials and changes after the event
A brief inventory is useful when transferring objects and copies. For each item, specify its identifier, where it was obtained, the form in which it is submitted and which materials relate to it. The inventory helps preserve the link between the trace-bearing object, photographs, procedural record and proposed comparison object.
Known actions after discovery are listed separately: movement, use, repair, cleaning, dismantling or replacement of part of the item. Both the fact of a change and its location relative to the area examined matter. If the exact condition at the time of the event is unknown, this should be noted.
- Agree on the list of objects and questions for each.
- Match files, photographs and documents to the identifiers in the inventory.
- Specify the provenance of comparison materials and the date they were obtained.
- Keep source images separate from copies with explanations and highlighted details.
Independent trial actions on an item bearing disputed traces may change its condition. The need for additional specimens and the method of obtaining them are therefore discussed after assessment of the task. Preserved materials should not be replaced by a new reconstruction of the event without an explicit explanation of how it was performed.
The result must make clear the features examined, comparison data and limitations arising from the objects' condition. This description makes it possible to check which materials support the answer and which circumstances remained beyond the available examination.
