Document Analysis Vocabulary

Anything that bears marks, signs, or symbols which have meaning or conveys a message to someone

The examination of questioned documents with known material for a variety of analyses, such as authenticity, alterations, erasures, and obliterations

A person who scientifically analyzes handwriting

A standard document of known origin and authorship used in handwriting analysis

The making, adapting, or falsifying of documents or other objects with the intention of deceiving someone

Any signature, handwriting, typewriting, or other written mark whose source or authenticity is in dispute or uncertain

The separation, especially of closely related compounds, by allowing a solution or mixture to seep through an adsorbent (such as clay, gel, or paper) so each compound becomes adsorbed into a separate, often colored, layer.

Retention factor; the distance travelled by pigment divided by the distance travelled by the solvent. Rf is the distance travelled by a sample in a mixture divided by distance travelled by the solvent in chromatography

A substance, usually a liquid, capable of dissolving another substance

A homogeneous mixture of two or more substances, which may be solids, liquids, gases, or a combination of these

A substance dissolved in another substance, usually the component of a solution present in the lesser amount

A substance that dissolves most chemicals; water is called the universal solvent because it dissolves more substances than any other solvent