Questioned Document Exam.

-Lecture
Topics for Finals

Chapter 10
Forensic Examination of Handwriting

Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter, the student will be able to:
At the end of this chapter, the student will be able to:
 Enumerate the procedures in systematic handwriting examination;


Enumerate the procedures in systematic handwriting examination;
State the characteristics of handwriting to be considered in document examination;

 State
Explainthe
thecharacteristics of handwriting
different structures to beand
of letter design; considered in document examination;

 Explain the different
Explain disguised structures of letter design; and
writing.
 Explain disguised writing.

Systematic Examination of Handwriting

1. Preliminary Procedures
 Determine whether the material is of good quality and contains sufficient characteristics of
handwriting that can be compared
 Determine if exemplars are suitable for comparison with the questioned material. The
exemplars must be representative of the writer and written under similar conditions as the
questioned material within a reasonable time frame.
 Make certain that all of the exemplars are genuine and can be authenticated for the benefit of
the court.
 Have enough comparable material to draw conclusions about the questioned documents.

2. Initial Examination
 Search for obvious signs of forgery in the questioned material.
 If there are no obvious signs of forgery, determine if there is any evidence of self-disguise.
Disguised writing is any conscious or deliberate attempt to alter the normal characteristics of
one’s handwriting to prevent recognition.
3. Detailed examination
 Compare the questioned to the known handwriting. Consider the various factors that affect
handwriting and take into consideration all of the characteristics of writing.
 Determine if differences are the result of natural variation of different writers.
4. Making and Identification
 List the similarities and differences between questioned and known documents
 Determine if there are enough similar identifying characteristics without any significant
fundamental divergences to make an identification.
5. Elimination
 To eliminate a writer, one must know all of the different ways a writer can write. This requires
much larger samples of known handwriting before elimination can be made.

Terminologies Related to Handwriting Identification and Examinations

1. Characteristics – any property or mark which distinguishes and in document examination
commonly called to as the identifying details.
2. Collation – side by side comparison; collation as used in this text means the critical comparison
on side-by-side examination.

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Topics for Finals

3. Comparison – the act of setting two or more items side by side to weigh their identifying
qualities; it refers not only a visual but also the mental act in which the element of one item is
related to the counterparts of the other.
4. Disguised Writing – it is a handwriting in which the writer alters his handwriting to conceal his
identity. A writer may deliberately try to alter his usual writing habits in hopes of hiding his
identity. The results, regardless of their effectiveness are termed disguised writing.
5. Cacography - it refers to a bad writing.
6. Calligraphy – it is the art of beautiful writing
7. Gestalt – The German word that means “complete” or “whole”. A good gestalt needs nothing
added or taken away to make it “look right”. Also, a school of handwriting analysis that looks at
handwriting as a whole picture.
8. Hand lettering – any disconnected style of writing in which each letter is written separately;
also called hand printing.
9. Left-Handed Writing – see “wrong hand writing”
10. Manuscript Writing – a disconnected form of script or semi script writing. This type of writing
is taught in young children in elementary schools as the first step in learning to write.
11. Margins – The amount of space left around the writing on all four sides.
12. Model Handwriting/Signature – It refers to the handwriting or signature which is the basis of
forgery.
13. Movement – It is an important element in handwriting. It embraces all the factors which are
related to the motion of the writing instrument skill, speed freedom, hesitation, rhythm,
emphasis, tremors and the like. The manner in which the writing instrument is move that is by
finger, hand, forearm or whole arm.
14. Natural Writing – Any specimen of writing executed normally without any attempt to control
or alter its identifying habits and its usual quality or execution.
15. Natural Variation – These are normal or usual deviations found between repeated specimens of
any individual handwriting.
16. Significant Writing Habit – Any characteristic of handwriting that is sufficiently uncommon
and well-fixed to serve as a fundamental point in the identification.
17. Simplification – Eliminating extra or superfluous strokes from the copybook model.

18. Alignment – the relation of parts of the whole of writing or line of

individual letters in words to the baseline. It is the alignment of
words. The relative alignment of letters.

19. Form – the writer’s chosen writing style. The way the writing looks,
whether it is copybook, elaborated, simplified or printed.

20. Line Quality – the overall character of the ink lines from
the beginning to the ending strokes.
2 classes:
a. Good line quality
b. Poor line quality.

21. Proportion Or Ratio – The relation between the tall and the short
letter is referred as the ratio of writing.

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Topics for Finals

22. Rhythm – The element of the writing movement which is marked by regular
or periodic recurrences. It may be classed as smooth, intermittent, or jerky in
its quality; the flourishing succession of motion which are recorded in a
written record. Periodicity, alternation of movement.

23. Size – May refer to the overall size of the writing or the
proportions between zones.

24. Skill – In any set there are relative

degrees or ability or skill and a
specimen of handwriting usually
contains evidence of the writer’s
proficiency; degree, ability or
skill of a write proficiency.

25. Slope/Slant – The angle or inclination of the axis of the letters

relative to the baseline. There are three classes:
a. Slant to the left
b. Slant to the right
c. Vertical slant
= there are also writings that manifest variable slants.

26. Pen Emphasis – The act of intermittently forcing the pen against
the paper surfaces. When the pen-point has flexibility, this
emphasis produces shading, but with more rigid writing points
heavy point emphasis can occur in writing without any evidence of
shading; the act intermittently forcing the pen against the paper
with increase pressure.
27. Angular Forms – sharp, straight strokes that are made by stopping the pen and changing
direction before continuing.
28. Arcade Forms – form that look like arches rounded on the top and open at the bottom.
29. Downstroke – the movement of the pen toward the writer.
30. Garland Forms - a cup-like connected form that is open at the top and rounded on the bottom.
31. Letter Space – the amount of space left between letters.
32. Line Direction – movement of the baseline. May slant up, down, or straight across the page.
33. Line Space – The amount of space left around the writing on all four sides.
34. Pen Hold – The place where the writer grasps the barrel of the pen and the angle at which he
Holds It.
35. Pen Position – Relationship between the pen point and the paper.
36. Pen Pressure – The average force with which the pen contacts the paper. pen pressure as
opposed to pen emphasis deals with the usual of average force involved in the writing rather than
the period increases.
37. Printscript- A creative combination of printing and cursive writing.
38. Quality – A distinct or peculiar character. Also, “quality” is used in describing handwriting to
refer to any identifying factor that is related to the writing movement itself.
39. Speed Of Writing – The personal pace at which the writer’s pen moves across the paper.

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40. Speed (Speedy) Writing – Not everyone writes at the same rate so that consideration of the
speed of writing may be a significant identifying element. Writing speed cannot be measured
precisely from the finished handwriting but can be interpreted in broad terms of slow, moderate
or rapid.
41. System (of writing) - The combination of the basic design of letters and the writing movement
as taught in school make up the writing system. Writing through use diverges from the system,
but generally retains some influence of the basic training. (see also copy book)
42. Tension – The degree of force exerted on the pen compared to the degree of relaxation.
43. Thready Form – An incidence connective form that looks flat and wavy.
44. Variability – The degree to which the writing varies from the copy book model.
45. Variation – The act or process of changing.
46. Word Space – The amount of space left between words.
47. Writing Condition – Both the circumstances under which the writing was prepared and the
factors influencing the writer’s ability to write at the time of execution. It includes the writer’s
position (sitting, standing, abed, etc.), the paper support and backing, and the writing instrument;
writing ability may be modified by the condition of the writer’s health, nervous state, or degree
of intoxication.
48. Writing Habit – Any repeated element in one’s handwriting.
49. Wrong-Handed Writing – Any writing executed with the opposite hand that normally used;
a.k.a as “with the awkward hand”. It is one means of disguise. Thus, the writing of a right-
handed person which has been executed with his left-hand accounts for the common terminology
for this class of disguise as “left-hand writing”.
50. Writing Impulse – The result of the pen touching down on the paper and moving across the
page, until it is raised from the paper.

THE WRITTEN STROKES:

Stroke – refers to the series of lines or curves written in a single letter; one of the lines of an alphabet or
series of lines or curves within a single letter; the path traced by the pen on the paper.
 Stroke structure is the most apparent point in the comparative analysis of handwriting. It is the
only point that many people check when they doubt a particular handwriting. Stroke formation
is usually the starting point for an inexperienced student of handwriting examination. (PNP-
CLO QDE Notes)
 People develop certain habits of construction in their letter formations and the minute strokes,
the pieces and parts of single letters become quite fixed. The habitual stroke structures give our
handwriting its individual character, making identification through handwriting more certain.
 Understanding how these stroke characteristics are structured or formed is the key to
identifying the indications of forgery and genuineness in handwritings and signatures.

TERMINOLOGIES CONCERNING STROKE CHARACTERISTICS

ARCH – any arcaded from in the body of a letter found in

small letters which contain arches.

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ARC/GARLANDED – curved formed inside the top curve

of loop as in small letters “h, m, n, & p”.

BEARD – is the rudimentary initial up stroke of a letter.

BLUNT – the beginning and ending stroke of a letter

(without hesitation)

BODY – the main portion of the letter, minus the initial of

strokes, terminal strokes and the diacritic, of any.

BUCKLE/BUCKLEKNOT – a loop made as a flourished

which is added to the letters, as in small letter “k & b”, or
in capital letters “a,k,p”; the horizontal end loop stroke that
are often used to complete a letter.

DIACRITIC – “t” crossing and dots of the letter “I” and

“j”. the matters of the Indian Script are also known as
diacritic signs; an element added to complete a certain
letter, either a cross bar or a dot.

EYE/EYELET/EYELOOP - a small or curved formed

inside the letters. This may occur inside the oval of the
letters “a, d, o”; the small loop form by stroke that extent in
divergent direction as in small letters.

HOOK OR TROUGH – it is a minute curve or an ankle

which often occurs at the end of the terminal strokes and
sometimes, it occurs at the beginning of an initial stroke.
It is also defined as the minute involuntary talon like
formation found at the commencement of an initial up
stroke or the end terminal stroke.
KNOB – the extra deposit of ink in the initial and terminal
stroke due to the slow withdrawal of the pen from the paper
(usually applicable to fountain pen and felt tip pens)

LOOP – an oblong curve such as found on the small letter

“f, g, l” and letter stroke “f” has two. A loop may be blind
or open. A blind loop is usually the result of the ink having

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filled the open space.

PATCHING/RETOUCHING- going back over a
defective portion of a written stroke. Careful patching is
common defect of forgeries.

PEN LIFT – an interruption in a stroke caused by

removing the writing instrument from the paper.

SHADING – it is the widening of the ink strokes due to the

added pressure on a flexible pen point or to the use of a
stub pen.

BASELINE – maybe actually on a ruled paper, it might be

imaginary alignment of writings; is the ruled or imaginary
line upon which the writing rests.

ENDING/ TERMINATE STROKE OF TOE – the end

stroke of a letter.

FOOT – lower part which rest on the base line. The small
letter “m” has three feet, and the small letter “n” has two
feet.

RETRACE / RETRACING – a stroke that goes back

over another writing stroke.

SPUR – a short initial or terminal stroke

WHIRL – the upstroke of a looping ascender.

SHOULDER – outside portion of the top curve, small

letter “m, has three shoulders and the small letter “n” has
two, the small letter “h” has one shoulder.

STAFF /STEM– any major long downward stroke of a

letter that is the long downward stroke of the letters “b, g”.

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TICK/HITCH – any short stroke, which usually occurs at

the top of the letters.

ASCENDER – is the top portion of a letter or upper loop.

DESCENDER – opposite of ascender, lower portion of a
letter.
BEAD – preliminary embellished initial stroke which
usually occurs in capital letters. A letter having this is
called beaded letter.
BOWL – a fully rounded oval or circular form on a letter
complete into “o”
HABITS – any repeated elements or details, which may
serve to individualize writing.
HESITATION – the term applied to the irregular
thickening of ink which is found when writing slows down
or stop while the pen takes a stock of the position.
LIGATURE (CONNECTIONS) – the stroke which
connects two strokes of letter; characterized by connected
stroke in between letters.
LONG LETTER – those letters with both upper and lower
loops.
MAJUSCULE – a capital letter
MINUSCULE – a small letter
MOVEMENT IMPULSES – this refer to the continuity of
stroke, forged writing is usually produced by disconnected
and broken movements and more motion or movement
impulses than in genuine writing.
HIATUS/PEN JUMP – a gap occurring between
continuous strokes without lifting the pen. It usually occurs
due to speed; may be regarded also as a special form of pen
lift distinguish in a ball gap in that of perceptible gaps and
appear in the writing.
TREMOR – a writing weakness portrayed by irregular
shaky strokes is described as writing tremor.

OTHER TERMINOLOGIES CONCERNING STROKES

1. AIRSTROKE – The movement of the pen as it raised from the paper and continues in the same
direction in the air.
2. COVERING STROKE – a stroke that unnecessarily covers another stroke in a concealing
action.
3. FINAL – the ending stroke on a letter when it is at the end of a word.
4. UPSTROKE – movement of the pen away from the writer.
5. SEQUENCE OF STROKES – the order in which writing strokes are placed on the paper is
referred to as their sequence.
6. SUPPORTED STROKES – upstrokes partially covering the previous down strokes. Originally
taught in European schools.

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7. TRAIT STROKE – a school of handwriting analysis that assigns personality trait manners to
individual writing strokes.
QUALITIES OF THE STROKES
1. EXPANSION – whether the movement is extended or limited in its range with respect to both
vertical and horizontal dimension.
2. COORDINATION – whether the flow of movement is controlled or uncertain, smooth or jerky,
continuous or interrupted.
3. SPEED – whether the movement has been rapid or slow and whether the pace has been steady or
variable.
4. PRESSURE – whether the pressure exerted in the movement and its upward and downward
reach.
5. DIRECTION – Left ward and right ward trend of the movement and its upward reach.
6. RHYTHM – in the sequence of movements that weave the total pattern, certain similar phases
recur at more or less regular intervals.

GENERAL CLASSES OF QUESTIONED WRITING

a. FORGED OR SIMULATED WRITINGS in which the attempt is made to discard one’s own
writing and assume the exact writing personality of another person.
b. DISGUISED – those writings that are disguised and in which the writer seeks to hide his own
personality without adapting that of another.
 with these, the purpose of handwriting examinations is to determine whether handwriting
examination is forged or whether it is genuine or that of another.

AMBIDEXTROUS – Refers to individuals who can use or write using either of their hands with equal
skill, movement and speed.

HANDWRITING CHARACTERISTICS AND OTHER IDENTIFYING FEATURES

 Writing Habits - these are the repeated elements on one’s handwritings. In handwriting
identification, the characteristics are the bases of examination. The handwriting class
characteristics are the initial points of comparison and if similarity is established, the individual
characteristics are compared.
 Characteristics – in handwriting pertain to any features or distinguishing properties or qualities
belonging to one’s handwriting. In handwriting analysis, the usual characteristics of
considerations are:
1. Line quality
2. Spacing of words and letters
3. Ratio and proportion
4. Pen lifts and separations
5. Connecting strokes
6. Beginning and ending strokes
7. Unusual letter formation
8. Shading or pen pressure
9. Slant
10. Baseline habits
11. Flourishes and embellishments
12. Didactic placement

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a. General (Class) Characteristics – These characteristics refer to those habits that are part of
basic writing system or which are modifications of the system of writing found among so large a
group of writes that have only slight identification value.

b. Individual Characteristics – they are characteristics which are the result of the writer’s
muscular control, coordination, age, health and nervous temperament, frequency of writing,
personality and character. They are also found in the following: writing movement, form and
design of letters, motor coordination, shading, skills, alignment, pen pressure, connection, pen
hold, rhythm, disconnections or pen lifts between letters, speed, slant as a writing habit,
proportion of letters as an individual characteristic or habit, quality of stroke or line quality,
variation and muscular control or motor control.

c. TYPES OF HANDWRITING ACCORDING TO MUSCULAR CONTROL

1. Loose Writing – this is characterized by too much freedom of movement and lack of
regulation. This is noticed especially in tall letter forms.
2. Restrained Writing – there is lack of freedom and inhibited movements. It gives the
impression that every stroke was made with great difficulty. This writing is small. There is
distortion of letter forms which may lead to illegibility.
3. Occasional – found occasionally in his handwriting.
4. Rare – special to the writer and perhaps found only in one or two persons in a group of one
hundred individuals.

d. CLASSIFICATION OF INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS

1. Permanent Characteristics – found always in his handwriting
2. Common Or Usual – found in a group of writers who studied the same system of writing.
Examples of these are –
a. Ordinary copy-book form
b. Usual systematic slant
c. Ordinary scale of proportion or ratio
d. Conventional spacing

How Individual Characteristics Are Acquired:

1. Outgrowth of definite teaching
2. Result of imitation
3. Accidental condition or circumstances
4. Expression of certain mental and physical traits of the writer as affected by education, by
environment and by occupation.
Examples Of Some of The Individual Characteristics
1. Hook to the right and hook to the left
2. Shape, position, size, and angle of “i” dots “t” crossing
3. Idiosyncrasies – unusual features or writing habits
4. Bulbs and distinctive initial and final pen pressure
5. Embellishment, added strokes and free movement endings
6. Abbreviation of letters
7. Simple and compound curves and graceful endings
8. Labored movement producing ragged lines
9. Terminal shadings and forceful endings
10. Presence and influence of foreign writing, with the introduction of Greek “Σ”

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Principle In Handwriting Identification

a. When any two specimens of handwritings contain a combination of corresponding or similar and
specifically oriented characteristics of such number and significance as to preclude the
possibility of their occurrence by mere coincidence, and there is no unaccounted-for difference,
it may be concluded that they are similar in writing characteristics and therefore written by one
and the same person.
b. Handwriting are fixed habits.
c. These writing habits like habits of speech become so automatic and unconscious that even by the
most strenuous effort, it is almost impossible to change them. It is one of the most permanent of
human habits.
d. No duplication of handwriting by two individuals

HANDWRITING PROBLEMS:
a. A signature/handwriting contested by its author which in reality is genuine and corresponds
perfectly to the ordinary, and habitual signatures of that person.
b. A signature/handwriting contested by its author which in reality was written by him but in a way
which was different from the ordinary manner and which is more or less different from the
common genuine signatures of that person.
c. A signature/handwriting contested by its author which in reality was written by a third person and
which is a forgery written in an attempted imitation of a model.
d. A spurious signature/handwriting written by somebody who did not attempt to imitate the
signature of a person and who uses a fictitious name and this to give his work the appearance of a
signature.
e. An uncontested signature/handwriting, in fact, genuine but written by an unknown person whose
name must be deciphered by the document examiner.

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