FOSC 4 – Questioned Document Examination
Documents Attacked on the Questioned of their
DOCUMENT
 Latin "documentum" means "a lesson".
 is anything upon which a mark, symbol or sign is
made which is either visible or invisible for the
purpose of conveying an information or a message
to someone. It may be a photograph, plates, or
lithograph.
TWO CATEGORIES OF A DOCUMENT
1. Standard Document - It is a document which the
origin is known and its source can be proven. It is
also being used as a comparison with other things
in questioned or disputed.
2. Contemporary Document - Documents which are
not more than five (5) years before or after.
TYPES/SOURCES OF STANDARD DOCUMENT
1. Collected or Procured Document - these are
standard specimens obtained from different files of
documents which is being executed on a day to day
activities of man.
2. Requested/Dictated - it is document being created
only upon request and only prepared once for the
purposes of making a comparative examination with
the disputed documents. The subject is told what to
write and is aware that the samples will be used for
analysis and comparison.
LEGAL CLASSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS
1. Public Documents - it is an instrument created and
notarized by a competent public official in response
to the exigency or needs of the public with the
solemnities required by law.
2. Official Documents - are instruments issued by
government officials vested with authority to do so.
These are documents issued in the exercise or
performance of their duties.
3. Private Document - are documents executed by a
private person without the intervention of a notary
public by which some disposition or agreements are
being proved or set forth.
4. Commercial Documents - these are instruments
defined, executed and regulated in accordance with
the Code of Commerce as well as the Mercantile
Law (ex. Receipt)
CLASSES OF QUESTIONED DOCUMENT
1. Documents with Questioned Signatures - this
are papers containing signatures under suspicion
and being disputed regarding its authenticity usually
found on check, note, draft, contract, will, and other
relevant papers. (common in last will testament)
2. Documents Containing Alleged Fraudulent
Alteration - documents that are allegedly contain
fraudulent changes by erasure, addition,
interlineations or substitutions. It is usually found on
checks with dubious raised or diminished amount
than the original value.
3. Holograph Document Questioned or Disputed
 a class of questioned document wherein the
writing of an entire document is questioned or
disputed. It is subject to a scrutiny involving its
paper, watermarks, inks, pens, style or system
of writing of a document.
 holograph documents are documents
completely written and signed by one person
only.
4.
Date and Age - this are questioned documents
being investigated as to the age of the instrument.
The age of the writings may have some bearing as
to the authenticity of the document. For some
cases, documents have been introduced to have
been created a long time age but actually proven a
few months old. (ex. Ancient documents)
5. Documents Attacked on the Questioned of
Materials Used in Their Production -
examinations and analysis being conducted in a
document to prove whether or not the date
indicated on the paper matches the materials used
in the production of that paper.
6. Documents that Identify the Handwriting - the
most frequently questioned documents being
brought under inquiry. This are documents being
investigated to identify the handwriting on a paper
that leads to the identity of the writer.
7. Genuine Documents Erroneously or
Fraudulently Attacked - this are documents being
questioned on its handwriting or penmanship
whether writing is genuine or forged. In some
cases, the writer usually denied to have made the
writing that gives rise to the examination of the
documents to prove if it is genuine or forged.
8. Documents to Identify Typewriting - documents
are under scrutiny regarding the typewriter used in
creating a document.
INSTRUMENTS USED IN QUESTIONED
DOCUMENTS EXAMINATION
1. Stereoscopic Microscope - the stereoscopic
microscope, two low powered microscopes
arranged to converge on a single specimen,
provides a dimensional image.
2. Compound Microscope - the compound
microscope uses two lenses. an objective lens and
all ocular lens, mounted at opposite ends of a
closed tube, to provide greater magnification than is
possible with a single lens. The objective lens is
composed of several lens elements that form an
enlarged real image of the object being examined.
3. Shadowgraph - an instrument that the images cast
in shadow: are an image of a shape made by
casting a shadow onto a surface.
4. Handwriting Protractor - an instrument for
measuring angles: an instrument shaped like a
semicircle marked with the degrees of a circle, used
to measure or mark out angles.
5. UV Lamp - this is usually used in the detection of
counterfeited bills but can actually be used to detect
security features of qualified documents
6. Transmitted Light - a device where light comes
from beneath or behind glass on document is
placed.
7. Photo-enlarger - a device used to enlarge
negatives and transfer the image to the photo
paper.
8. Video Spectral Comparator - is used to analyze
inks and see whether they are the same or
different. This is done by looking at them under
different lighting conditions where some
wavelengths of light are blocked. This technique
can uncover layers in documents where words have
been scribbled out or written over.
9. Magnifying Lens - for increased magnification
10. Electro-Static Detection Device - an Electro Static
Detection Apparatus is used to visualize
indentations by applying an electrostatic charge to a
 transparent film. The film is laid across the page in
question and once the charge has been applied.
black toner is passed across the film and reveals
any indentations. This method can also determine if
something has been added to a journal or log after
the original entry was made.
HISTORY OF PAPER
 Egypt - "paper" which they called as "Papyrus"
discovered by them more than 4,000 years ago.
Papyrus was made from a grass called “reeds.”
 The first paper was made in China 2000 years ago
out from the inner bark of bamboo and hemp.
 In the 2nd century BC., “vellum” was created as a
writing surface which is being crafted from the skins
of goats and lambs.
 Paper is later on spread all over the world and the
first papermaking mill was established in Spain in
1150.
 In 1960, William Rittenhouse of Roxborough,
Philadelphia founded the first paper plant in
America.
TYPES OF PAPER
1. Newsprint - least expensive type of paper made of
ground wood.
2. Offset - it is more expensive than newsprint due to
its content that can resist water.
3. Bond Paper - it is a more and being used regularly
in office works.
4. Safety Paper - a paper which has been treated in
such a way as to minimize the chances of forgery
by erasure whether mechanical or chemical.
WRITING INSTRUMENT - refers to objects used in
writing through the application of pressure to the writing
surface by means of an ink or engraving.
BALLPOINT PEN
 JOHN LOUD (inventor), in 1888, patented the first
ball point writing tool.
 A ball point pen has in its point a small rotating
metal ball that continually inks itself as it turns.
 The ball is set into a tiny socket. In the center of the
socket is a hole that feeds ink to the socket from a
long tube (reservoir) inside the pen.
FOUNTAIN PEN - A pen that contains a reservoir of
water-based liquid ink. The ink is drawn through a feed
to the nib and then to the paper via a combination of
gravity and capillary action.
FIBER TIP PEN
 The first practical fiber tip pen was invented by
YUKIO HORIE of Japan in 1962. It was ideally
suited to the strokes of Japanese writing, which is
traditionally done with a pointed ink brush.
 Dye is fed to the point by elaborate capillary
mechanism.
QUILL PEN - Made from a flight feather of a large bird.
The shaft of the feather acts as an ink reservoir and ink
flows to the tip via capillary action.
INK - it is a viscous liquid or dye applied in a pen that
produces the visible result of writing.
TYPES OF INK
1. India Ink - it is the oldest form ink made up of
carbon black. It is composed of soot, known as
lamp black.
2. Logwood Ink - it is the cheapest form of ink. It
comes from the brownish-red heartwood of a
logwood tree used in preparing a purplish red dye.
3. Iron Gallotannate (Iron Gall Ink) - It is a purple-
black or brown black ink made from iron salts ad
tannic acids.
4. Nigrosine Ink - a type of ink made by heating a
mixture of aniline and nitrobenzene and used in
negative staining of cells in a microscope.
5. Copy Pencil - a writing instrument whose writing
substance consist of a mixture of graphite and an
aniline dye.
SYSTEM OF WRITING
1. The Round Hand System - originated in England
characterized by an open flowing hand and a
contrast of thick and thin strokes.
2. Spencerian System – More on embellishment
3. Palmer Method - it is the simplified style of
Spenserian System wherein it characterized by a
cursive writing with rhythmic motion.
4. Modern American or Commercial System
5. Modern Vertical
6. Writing - is the visible result of a very complicated
series of acts, being as a whole or a combination of
certain forms which are the very visible result of
mental and muscular habits acquired by long
continued painstaking effort.
7. Handwriting - is a visible effect of bodily movement
which is an unconscious expression of almost fixed
muscular habits. It is an act of writing using a pen,
pencil or any writing instruments
8. Graphology - is the science that deals with the
study of one's handwriting and the characteristics
binding on it.
TYPES OF HANDWRITING
1. Cursive - letters are joined together.
2. Handlettering - writings that are separate or
disconnected in style.
3. Natural Writing - executed normally and it has no
attempt of altering and disguising its usual writing.
4. Disguised - writings that is executed with
deliberate attempt of changing its usual writing
habits to hide one's identity.
5. Guided/Assisted Writing - writing in which the
writer's hand is at steady while being assisted by
another person.
6. Writing Habits - refers to any repeated elements of
one's handwriting which serves as an identifying
characteristics.
 it is tendency to write in a certain manner which
is acquired by frequently doing it.
7. Significant Writing Habits - elements of one's
writing that are sufficiently unique and well-fixed to
serve as a strong basis of individuality.
8. Physiological Basis of Handwriting - The
development of writing first evolves on the impulses
of the brain that connects with the organs of the
body which subsequently forms a writing process.
These impulses is formed from the writing center of
the brain's cortex, the part that also controls our
vision, hearing, sight, talking, walking and other
fundamental movements of our body.
 The impulse from our brain is now being
transmitted to our finger and directs it to grasp
the pen and bring it into motion with
 considerable pressure. A center near the area
of the cortex is responsible for the fine
movement in handwriting and if this important
area becomes a disease, it will cause a person
lose the ability to write which is called
"agraphia".
 The person's skill in writing involves the four
group muscles which are the finger, wrist,
elbow, and shoulder and the combination of
this movement will produce written forms called
"motor combination." At first, a person starts
to create symbols and drawings since they
have no idea with the system of writing.
Through a guide and painstaking practice, a
person will eventually form his own writing
habits. After considerable time and effort, a
person will unconsciously develop his own
unique writing habits which is called significant
writing habits.
HISTORY OF WRITING
Even in the primitive times, writings have been
used based on man's desire to communicate with
others. Early recorded writings can be found engraved
in stones, carved in woods and clay tablets.
 Cave Drawings are the early recorded history of
writings. It is not associated by an alphabet or any
systems of writing but only depicts symbols and
drawings. These cave drawings are called
Petroglyphs or Petrograms which was developed
between 20,000 and 10,000 BC.
 Carvings as a means of communication gradually
evolved into paintings or word pictures or
Ideographs. In Egypt, the word pictures is termed
as Hieroglyphics.
 Sumerians was credited for the creation of the first
alphabet.
 Phoenician Alphabet - known alphabet spread by
Phoenicians and adapted by the entire world during
the 1700- 1500BC which consists of 22 letters and
written from right to left.
 Greek Alphabet - derived from the Phoenician
Alphabet and developed in Greece by 8th century
BC. They changed the direction of writing from left
to right.
 Roman Alphabet or Latin Alphabet - it is initially
consisted of disconnected capital and lower case
letters.
 Cyrillic Alphabet - used in Russia, Serbia, and
Bulgaria. It was developed in Greece but has an
additional letters with sounds different from Greek.
CHARACTERISTICS OF WRITING
 Characteristics - refer to the distinguishing trait,
quality, and property found in a writing that serves
as identifying details.
TYPES OF CHARACTERISTICS
 Class/Gross Characteristics - these are
characteristics that can be found commonly in the
specimen writing of a person.
 Individual Characteristics – characteristics which
are highly peculiar and personal which is unlikely to
occur in other handwriting.
ELEMENTS OF FORMS IN WRITING
 Form - refers to shape of the individual letters.
 Arc - the rounded inner part of an upper curve,
bend or crook.
 Beard - is an introductory up and down strokes
found in some capital letters. Also sometimes called
as double hitch.
 Blunt -
characterized by abrupt beginning or end.
 Buckle Knot - is a horizontal or loop strokes.
 Ductus-link and Ductus-broken - refers to the
connection between each letters which are either
joined or disconnected.
 Eyelet/Eyeloop - refers to small oblong strokes
usually found on a lowercase letters.
 Hitch - an introductory backward strokes found in
capital and small letters.
 Humps - the outer curved portion or surface of the
letter.
 Knob - is a tiny pool of an ink found at the
beginning or ending stroke of a letter. It is also
termed as "Blots."
 Stem/Shank/Staff - known as the backbone of the
letter described as a long downward stroke.
 Whirl - is the single upward stroke found opposite
the stem.
 Central Part - is the body of the letter characterized
by small rounded or circular stroke.
 Initial/Terminal Spur - a long running initial and
terminal stroke of a letter.
 Hook or Through - the bend, crook or curve on the
inner side of the bottom loop or curve of small letter.
 Embellishment/Rubrics - this are the flourishes
and designs useful only for ornamentation but not
essential or unnecessary to the legibility of ones
writing.
 Writing Movement - it is the act of moving to form
letters and symbols and all factors relative to the
motion of the writing instrument. It is a primary
determinant of the speed of writing of a person.
TYPES OF WRITING MOVEMENT
 Finger Movement - commonly employed by
beginners. It is the action of the thumb, index and
middle fingers in writing. This writing movement
results into a rough lines and irregular connections
between letters. The motion of the pen appears
slow and dull.
 Hand Movement - writing movement that has
limited freedom and involves the action of the entire
hand. The wrist is the pivotal point of the writing.
 Forearm or Muscular Movement - considered as
the most skillful type of movement. It includes the
motion of the arms while the hands and fingers are
steady. This movement shows extreme speed and
there is force and continuity of the writing
 movement. It covers a wide range and longer radius
than the other movements.
 Whole arm - it is used in ornament or large
writings.
KINDS OF MUSCLES INVOLVED IN WRITING
MOVEMENTS
 Extensors - muscles responsible for the upward
movement of fingers and tends to make it straighten
out.
 Flexors - muscles responsible for the downward
movement of the fingers.
 Lumbrical - this are the combination of the
extensor and flexor muscles that forms a lateral or
horizontal strokes.
 Shading - it is the widening of a line in a letter
because of the application of pressure and there is
an increase in the width of the strokes.
 Pen Position - it is the location and angle of the
pen to the surface of the paper.
 Pen Hold - it is helpful in identifying the position of
the pen by carefully examining the ink stroke of the
letters or words.
 Pen Scope - it refers to the reach of the hand or the
coverage of writing while the wrist is at rest.
 Retracing or Retraced - it is a stroke that goes
back over another writing stroke that creates
superimposition of line in the letter.
 Retouching or Patching - a stroke that goes back
over the defective portion of the stroke to correct or
alter the words or letters being written.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT WRITING

CHARACTERISTICS

 Line Quality - the term used to describe the

smoothness of a line and a writing movement.
The quality of movement can be distinguished into
five classes:
a. Clumsy, illiterate and halting.
b. Hesitating and painful through weakness or
disease.
c. Nervous and Irregular
d. Strong, heavy and forceful
e. Smooth flowing and rapid

ELEMENTS OF WRITING MOVEMENT

 Pen Pressure - this refers to the degree of weight
applied in a writing which may be heavy or light.
 Pen Emphasis - it is the act of intermittently or
periodically forcing the pen against the paper
surface with an increase in speed. It is
characterized
 Rhythm - it is a quality of handwriting characterized
by the harmonious recourse or balance of motion of
handwriting.
 Skill - it refers to the degree of proficiency of
person's writing.

CLASSIFICATION OF SKILL
 Poor Skill - characterized by lack of legibility and
symmetry or any of its features.
 Good Skills - reveals both legibility and symmetry
in writing.
 Medium Skill – it describes writing that does not fall
into poor or good class.
 Speed - it refers to the rate of movement of a writer
and interpreted as either fast, slow, or moderate.
 Pen Lift - is the interruption of the strokes caused
by sudden removal of the pen and leaves a gap at
certain points of a word or letter.