Perception of Forensic Expertise in the Judicial System

Disclaimer: AAFS is neither conducting nor endorsing this research or survey. AAFS is providing this opportunity solely to facilitate outreach to potential participants. Any questions regarding the research, survey, or participation request should be directed to the recruiter identified below.

Disciplines Invited to Participate:  Criminalistics, Jurisprudence, Pathology/Biology, Anthropology, Odontology, Questioned Documents

Membership Category Requirement:  AAFS Trainee Affiliates, AAFS Associate Members, AAFS Members, AAFS Fellows

 My name is Sara-Jane Lécuyer, and I am a master's student in Forensic Science at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) in Québec, Canada, under the supervision of Professor Frank Crispino. I am currently conducting a research project on the perception of forensic expertise in the judicial system.

The purpose of this survey is to better understand how forensic professionals perceive the role of forensic expertise in formal decision-making processes, including issues related to the role of the expert, objectivity and impartiality, access to information, communication of scientific findings, and the relationship between forensic science and the justice system.

 I am looking for forensic science professionals and trainees with experience or knowledge related to forensic expertise in judicial contexts.

• The results will be used as part of my master's thesis in Forensic Science at UQTR and may also be used for future scientific presentations and/or publications.
• The research project has received research ethics approval from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (certificate number CER-26-330-07.06).
• The survey takes approximately 15–30 minutes to complete and includes mostly multiple-choice and Likert-scale questions, as well as a few open-ended questions.
• Participation is voluntary, and the survey is anonymous.
• The survey will remain open until December 1, 2026.
• Survey link: https://forms.office.com/r/1N5QBPAkbq

For any questions about the study, I can be reached at Sara-Jane.Lecuyer@uqtr.ca or +1 450 512 1741.