Handwriting Analysis and Forensic Handwriting Examination: What’s the Difference?

I'm often asked, “Can you tell if this signature is genuine?” Sometimes the next question is, “And what does it say about the person who wrote it?”

Those sound like related questions, but they call for two different kinds of examination. I’ve spent much of my career working in both areas, and the distinction matters.

handwriting-analysis-and-forensic-handwriting-examination-what’s-the-differenceWhat does a forensic handwriting examiner ask?

A forensic examination usually starts with a question about a signature on a document: Did this person write or sign this? The document examiner then compares the questioned writing with known writing (exemplars) from the person or people involved.

That means looking at similarities and differences in letter forms, movement, proportions, spacing, and other habits. It also means considering natural variation. No one writes a letter or signs a name exactly the same way every time--it's impossible.

The quality and quantity of the comparison material affect what an examiner can conclude. A small number of signatures may provide much less information than a substantial collection of comparable writing. Sometimes the evidence supports an opinion; sometimes the responsible conclusion is that it does not. "Inconclusive" is an opinion too.

Forensic handwriting examination addresses authorship or authenticity. By itself, it does not establish whether the words on a page are true, whether the writer intended harm, or what kind of person the writer is.

What does personality-oriented handwriting analysis ask?

In personality-oriented handwriting analysis, called graphology, I look at the writing as a whole. How does the writer use the space on the page? What is the relationship between space, form, and movement? Is the writing generally free-flowing, controlled, crowded, expansive, or something harder to describe?

A single feature or characteristic cannot answer those questions. A large signature, a crossed t, or a slant to the right is only one small part of a much larger pattern. The conditions under which someone wrote also matter. A hurried note on a cramped form is different from several pages written at a desk (and this is also true in document examination).

This is the approach I explain in Reading Between the Lines. It begins with the overall impression and then examines how the details fit together.

Why the distinction matters

In a mystery novel, a handwritten note may be both a clue to its author and a window into a character. In a real case, I have to be precise about which question I’m answering and how far the evidence allows me to go.

My work as a forensic document examiner inspired Claudia Rose, the handwriting expert in my mystery series. If you’re curious about the real cases and the work behind that fiction, I share those experiences in Case Files of a Handwriting Expert. And if you want to explore the personality-oriented side, Reading Between the Lines is the place to begin.