"Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws."
Understanding the principles of quality assurance and quality control in forensic chemistry, including standards, calibration, and validation.
Quality Management Systems: This refers to a set of policies, processes, and procedures that are put in place to ensure that a product or service meets or exceeds customer expectations.
Quality Assurance: This refers to the process of making sure that the procedures and systems put in place meet the required standards or regulations.
Quality Control: This involves the process of testing products and services to ensure compliance with specific quality parameters.
Calibration and Validation Procedures: Calibration is the process of verifying and adjusting laboratory equipment to ensure that it meets specified requirements. Validation, on the other hand, is the process of ensuring that a method, process, or system produces accurate and reliable results.
Statistical Process Control: This involves the use of statistical tools to monitor and control production processes to ensure that products and services meet customer requirements.
Traceability and Chain of Custody: This refers to the ability to track the movement of samples, data, or evidence, from collection to analysis, to ensure their integrity and reliability.
Sampling Techniques: Sampling techniques are used to ensure that the sample analyzed is representative of the population or material being tested.
Data Analysis: This refers to the process of verifying data integrity, identifying trends, and inconsistencies.
Interlaboratory Studies: This involves the comparison of results from different laboratories to ensure the accuracy and reliability of analytical methods.
Accreditation and Certification: Accreditation and certification involve independent verification that a laboratory or testing facility meets specific standards or regulations.
Documentation and Record Keeping: This involves maintaining accurate records of measurement, testing, analysis, and interpretation.
Risk Management: This involves identifying and mitigating potential risks associated with analytical processes and results.
Ethics and Professional Conduct: Professional conduct refers to the code of ethics and best practices that are expected in the forensic chemistry industry.
Analytical Quality Assurance (AQA): A set of procedures to ensure that the laboratory's analytical results meet the needs of the client and are accurate, precise, and consistent.
Quality Control (QC): A set of procedures designed to monitor the performance of laboratory equipment, methods, and personnel to ensure that the results obtained are consistent, reliable, and reproducible.
Method Validation: A process through which the laboratory establishes the validity and reliability of the analytical method used to analyze the sample.
Proficiency Testing (PT): A program in which a laboratory participates in an external quality control program to assess its accuracy and precision in analyzing standardized samples.
Internal Quality Control (IQC): A program in which the laboratory monitors its analytical performance using quality control samples to ensure that the analytical results are consistent over time.
Accreditation: A process through which a laboratory is evaluated by an independent accreditation body to establish that it meets specified standards for quality management, analytical performance, and technical competence.
Regulatory Compliance: A set of regulations that a laboratory must comply with to ensure that its analytical results are legally defensible and acceptable in court.
"It is governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal procedure."
"It is a broad field utilizing numerous practices such as the analysis of DNA, fingerprints, bloodstain patterns, firearms, ballistics, and toxicology."
"Forensic scientists collect, preserve, and analyze scientific evidence during the course of an investigation."
"While some forensic scientists travel to the scene of the crime to collect the evidence themselves, others occupy a laboratory role, performing analysis on objects brought to them by other individuals."
"Still others are involved in the analysis of financial, banking, or other numerical data for use in financial crime investigation."
"They can be employed as consultants from private firms, academia, or as government employees."
"In addition to their laboratory role, forensic scientists testify as expert witnesses in both criminal and civil cases."
"They can work for either the prosecution or the defense, and any field could technically be forensic."
"Certain sections have developed over time to encompass the majority of forensically related cases."
"Criminalistics, also known as forensic science, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws."
"It is governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal procedure."
"...analysis of DNA, fingerprints, bloodstain patterns, firearms, ballistics, and toxicology."
"Forensic scientists collect, preserve, and analyze scientific evidence."
"Some forensic scientists travel to the scene of the crime to collect the evidence themselves, while others perform analysis on objects brought to them."
"They can be involved in the analysis of financial, banking, or other numerical data for use in financial crime investigation."
"They can be employed as consultants from private firms, academia, or as government employees."
"Forensic scientists testify as expert witnesses in both criminal and civil cases."
"They can work for either the prosecution or the defense."
"Certain sections have developed over time to encompass the majority of forensically related cases."