Journal of Forensic Sciences Announces “Special Section on Vicarious Trauma in Forensic Scientists”

I am pleased to announce that the Journal of Forensic Sciences (JFS) January 2026 issue is now available and includes a "Special Section on Vicarious Trauma in Forensic Scientists." This Special Section examines how forensic scientists' cumulative exposure to traumatic workplace experiences affects their mental health and job burnout. I believe the articles will be of great interest to the JFS readership, and I encourage you to share it with your colleagues and promote discussion. 

I am very excited about the Special Section, and I would like to thank AAFS President Joanna Collins for writing the incredible Introduction. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Daniel Martell for the vital role he played as Special Section Guest Editor, including identifying topics and authors, selecting reviewers, and assessing the submissions. 

The articles in this Special Section are accessible at: JFS January 2026 Issue. To access the articles in their entirety, please ensure that you are logged into your AAFS Member Portal (https://accounts.aafs.org/sign-in).  A PDF of this issue is available for download for AAFS Members via the Member Portal. Download instructions are available here.

The Editorial Board of JFS is multidisciplinary and international, reflecting the composition of the forensic science research community JFS serves. JFS welcomes your submissions. Please visit the JFS homepage at https://www.aafs.org/journal-forensic-sciences to learn more.   

Thank you for your continued support of JFS and its initiatives. For questions, please contact JFS Managing Editor Brenda Peat at bpeat@aafs.org.