NIST Forensic Science Training Program

Summary

Officers of the Court including judges and attorneys can benefit from receiving information from neutral sources to inform their understanding of foundational scientific and forensic science principles. Inspired by a request from Congress and a National Research Council report, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Forensic Science Program has prepared 17 short primers covering aspects of quality, statistics, and communication. This information is intended as an entry point for Officers of the Court on scientific topics that can enable more informed use of forensic science evidence in cases they encounter. These 17 primers were published as a complete set in NIST SP 1500-28 on March 26, 2025 and are also available below as individual files for easy access.

Description

Informational Scientific Primers for Officers of the Court: Intended to Strengthen Use of Forensic Science Evidence

Forensic science is an applied science that is built upon the application of chemistry, biology, physics, measurement science, and statistics to address questions of identification of unknown substances (e.g., drugs, explosives, fibers, blood) and attributing evidence items (e.g., DNA, fingerprints) to a known individual. The NIST Forensic Science Program created simple briefs (in the form of 17 primers) to help increase the knowledge of Officers of the Court on the components underlying the scientific basis of techniques used by forensic science service providers across the country and what results of those forensic analyses mean.

The primers are grouped into three main categories based on their content:

1. Forensic Science: The Goal Is to Produce Quality Results
2. Forensic Science: Statistics Related to Results
3. Forensic Science: Communicating Results Using Reports

Each primer consists of an introduction, core content related to the primer topic, examples, key takeaways, related primer references, links with opportunities to learn more, and a glossary. The 17 primers are consolidated in NIST SP 1500-28 enabling stakeholders to download the complete output in a single file. The primers are also published as 17 stand-alone pdfs on this website for quick access. It is anticipated that stakeholders may want easy reference and access to specific primers based on the case they are addressing or as topics become relevant to them. It is also anticipated that external entities that provide continuing legal education to Officers of the Court will want to provide links to specific primers enhancing the education being delivered by that provider.

Primer Access

Download the full 68-page publication as NIST SP 1500-28 or access each primer below:

I. Forensic Science: The Goal Is to Produce Quality Results

1. Accreditation and Certification
2. Documentary Standards
3. Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control
4. Method Validation and Method Verification
5. Metrological Traceability
6. Human Factors
7. Algorithms
8. Performance Monitoring: Methods, People, Organizations
9. Why Certain Items Are Selected for Examination

II. Forensic Science: Statistics Related to Results

1. General Statistics
2. Method Performance Statistics
3. Statistical Sampling
4. Population Statistics
5. Probability and Likelihood Ratios
6. Measurement Uncertainty, Frequency Data, and Error Rates

III. Forensic Science: Communicating Results Using Reports

1. Forensic Science Reports
2. Communicating Limitations