Standards - Forensic Data Science Laboratory

	Forensic Data Science Laboratory
Home	Standards

Morrison G.S., Elliott S., Guiness J., Sonden L., Syndercombe Court D. (2025). A guide to ISO 21043 Forensic Sciences from the perspective of the forensic-data-science paradigm. Science & Justice, 65, 101304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2025.101304

ISO 21043 is a new international standard for forensic science. It provides requirements and recommendations designed to ensure the quality of the forensic process. It includes Parts on: 1 vocabulary; 2 recovery, transport, and storage of items; 3 analysis; 4 interpretation; and 5 reporting. We provide a guide to ISO 21043 from the perspective of the forensic-data-science paradigm, which involves the use of methods that are transparent and reproducible, are intrinsically resistant to cognitive bias, use the logically correct framework for interpretation of evidence (the likelihood-ratio framework), and are empirically calibrated and validated under casework conditions. The guide focuses primarily on vocabulary, interpretation, and reporting, and on providing guidance for forensic-service providers and examiners who want to implement methods that are both consistent with the forensic-data-science paradigm and conformant with ISO 21043.

Morrison G.S., Biedermann A., Tart M., Meuwly D., Berger C.E.H., Guiness J., Houck M.M., Gibb C., Dawid A.P., Kotsoglou K.N., Kaye D.H., Rose P., Taroni F., Kokshoorn B., Saks M.J., Buckleton J.S., Curran J.M., Taylor D., Zhang C., Vuille J., Champod C., Simonsen B.T., Mattei A., Lucena-Molina J.J., Zabell S., Chin J.M., Gallidabino M., Wevers G., Moreton R., Eldridge H., Martire K.A., Aitken C.G.G., Cole S.A., González-Rodríguez J., Smithuis M., Edvardsen T., Wilson-Wilde L., Zadora G., Gittelson S., Jackson G., Sjerps M., Brard F., Hicks T., Kennedy J., Latten B.G.H., Weber P., Willis S., Ramos D., Koehler J.J., Ribeiro R.O., Crispino F., Basu N., Meakin G.E., Kirkbride K.P., Tully G., Jessen M., Syndercombe Court D. (2025). A response to EA-4/23 INF:2025 “The Assessment and Accreditation of Opinions and Interpretations using ISO/IEC 17025:2017”. Forensic Science International, 376, 112589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112589

We are concerned that EA-4/23 INF:2025 The Assessment and Accreditation of Opinions and Interpretations using ISO/IEC 17025:2017 provides inappropriate guidance on how to conduct forensic interpretation and on how to report forensic opinions. Following this guidance would result in misleading statements being provided to legal decision makers, which would potentially have adverse consequences.

free access until 2025-09-30

Download Preprint

Standards

ISO 21043:2025 Forensic Sciences:

ISO 21043-1:2025 Forensic Science – Part 1: Vocabulary

ISO 21043-3:2025 Forensic Sciences – Part 3: Analysis

ISO 21043-4:2025 Forensic Sciences – Part 4: Interpretation

ISO 21043-5:2025 Forensic Sciences – Part 5: Reporting

Morrison was an active contributor to the development of ISO 21043:2025. He had the following roles:

Member of the ISO Forensic Science Technical Comittee (ISO TC 272), 2018–present

Member of the British Standards Institution (BSI) Forensic Science Comittee, 2018–present

Chair of the BSI Forensic Science Comittee, 2019–2025

Project Lead for the revision of Part 1, 2023–2025

Host of ISO TC 272 meeting at Aston University, Birmingham, UK, 2023-06: