Lesson III

Lesson III
Preparation and collection of Handwriting Standards of comparison
The accuracy of handwriting opinion depends on the accuracy of the known writing. Writing standards
may be defined as specimens that tell how a person writes. To obtain such writing sounds like a simple
operation, but actually it may be one of the most complex and difficult steps in the whole writing
investigation.
What are the basic requirements for proper writing standards? They must show how the individual
writes and most especially how he would produce the material in question under similar conditions to those
in which the questioned writing was prepared. This specimen certainly must contain enough appropriately
prepared material to indicate not only the individual writing habits of the author but also the usual variation
in this habit from one writing to the next. They need not necessarily contain all the innumerable identifying
characteristics of the person’s writing, only those that should be found in material exactly like that in
dispute.
Two classes of specimens can be relied upon to fulfill these requirements. One consists of writing
executed from day to day during business, social, or personal affairs. These specimens may be referred to
as collected standards. The second class consists of material written at the request of an attorney, court,
prosecutor, or investigator for the sole purpose of comparison with the questioned documents, material
commonly known as collected standards. The problem encountered in assembling collected or request
standards differ in several ways, so each class will be treated separately.
Collected standards
The most important single factor in assembling good standards in the amount of writing, but other
factors influence the usefulness collected standards. The points to consider are:
1. The amount of writing available
2. The similarity of subject matter
3. The relative dates of the disputed and standard writing
4. The condition under which both questioned and known specimen were prepared
5. The type of writing instrument and paper used
Amount of writing standard

The importance of an adequate amount of writing has already been emphasized as
the keystone of good writing standards. There is a common belief that a writer can be positively identified
from only one or two of his signatures. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. Normal writing variations
alone generally makes this impossible. Only with a quantity of material, therefore, can all the writing
characteristics of an individual and the variations that usually occur from specimen to specimen be
accurately determined.
That everyone does not sign his name or write any combination of words in exactly the same way
twice is one of more complicating elements of handwriting identification. This natural variation must be
revealed by the known writing. Variation in writing is a personal factor-it is not the same for each individual
either in extent of nature. Besides, it can be influenced by the condition under which the writing was done.
Here is the reason that no hard and fast rule can be set for a minimum number of signatures or a minimum
amount of general handwriting.
With many problems, 10 or 20 signatures should constitute an adequate sample, but there are a
certain number of cases that may require 30, 40, or even more signatures to accurately reveal the writer’s
habit, ability, and range of variation. It is poor policy for the investigator with the bare minimum when just a
few additional specimens can greatly fortify the findings.
The minimum amount of writing necessary to identify the author of a handwritten document or an
anonymous letter likewise varies. As a working minimum , four or five pages of carefully selected
continuous, natural writing usually prove satisfactory. Regardless of these suggestions, though, a person
submitting a problem should always strive to obtain as large a quantity of handwriting as possible rather
than to fulfill minimum requirements.
Similarity of subject matter

The set of standards not only contains a quantity of writing but also includes an ample amount of
the same general type of material as that in dispute. Thus, if a signature is questioned, standard signatures
should be collected; if the check is believed to be fraudulent, genuine cancelled checks should be procured;
if an account entry is challenged, other entries serve as the best standards; if the authorship of any
anonymous letter is to be established, letters and pages of connected writing should be gathered for
purposes of comparison. The reasons for these choices become obvious with brief consideration of the
various factors involved.
In collecting signature standards, one must also consider the use for which each specimen was
written. Some writers have two or more distinctive styles for particular purposes. For example, one variety
may be used on checks, on legal documents and a second for correspondence. Some individuals are
consistent in their use of a specific signature style, while others may be entirely inconsistent. Further-more,
there may be serious divergences between formally written signatures- those deeds, contracts, for
example- and informal or somewhat unimportant signatures, such as those used to receipt for a delivery or
to sign for small purchase of gasoline. Therefore, there is a need to obtain numerous signatures employed
for the same purpose as the one in question and whenever possible, it is desirable to include those
appearing on other classes of documents. Only with such a set of standards can it be readily determined
whether the writer employs more than one type of signature, and if so, what relationship the questioned
specimen bears to any one of them.
Principally because of the limited number of writing characteristics common to signatures, but also
because of differences in many instances between them and the remainder of the person’s writing,
signatures make poor standards for the comparison with other types of disputed writing. In these latter
cases standards made up of letters, reports, and other handwritten documents provide for more extensive
and proper study of the problem. Similarity between the standard and disputed writing greatly assists in the
identification. The document examiner needs to compare like things. A general analysis of what needed to
compare with the questioned writing may, for example, reveal a great number of capital letters combined
with lowercase letters suggesting that known material, such as an address book, would produce good
comparison writing. Contrariwise, these same standards may be of relatively little value in identifying the
writer of a letter or holographic will, just as hastily written notes are poor standards for comparison with
formal writing. Thus, thought must be given to the section of the kind of general handwriting to be
collected.
Relative Date of Preparation

In previous discussion of handwriting identification, it was pointed out that over the course of years
a person’s writing may go gradual change just as his appearance does. The rate of nature of changes
varies from individual to individual. It depends on such factors as how often and how much he writes, his
writing skills and his mental and physical condition. Writing of a middle-aged person in good health, for
example, may change very little from year to year, but during a severe illness, it may deteriorate sharply
only to return to its original vigor as he regains strength.
An infirm signature may have been written immediately after a serious accident or operation when
it was believed essential to execute the document. During the severe illness one is not apt to do much
writing so that there may be only a limited number of comparable signatures written if in fact any exist at all.
In such cases, the date of preparation is extremely significant.
Normally in the case of a typical adult, basic writing habits change gradually. Therefore, material
written two or three years before or after serve as satisfactory standards, but as the lapse of years between
the date of standards and question materials becomes greater, the standard has the tendency to be least
representative. Consequently, an effort should always be made to procure some specimens written near in
date to the disputed matter.

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Lesson III

Preparation and collection of Handwriting Standards of comparison

Amount of writing standard

Similarity of subject matter

Relative Date of Preparation

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