Survey on Effective Investigative Review Processes
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, Pathology/Biology, and Toxicology
Membership Status Requirement: Associate Member, Member, or Fellow
My name is Linda Freel and I am a forensic science graduate student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I am conducting this research in collaboration with Tebah Browne, an Associate Member of the AAFS.
This survey aims to understand how quality issues are investigated in practice and where variability occurs. Findings from this work will identify key components of effective investigative review processes and highlight shared principles that support more consistent and thorough reviews. We are specifically seeking participation from leaders and quality managers working within forensic science laboratories and medicolegal death investigation facilities. The results will be used toward my master's thesis, presented at an upcoming National Association of Forensic Science Boards (NAFSB) conference, and potentially published as an article. This research has been evaluated and declared non-human subject research and therefore exempt from formal IRB approval by the Research Compliance and Integrity Director at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
The survey consists of 44 questions and takes approximately 20–40 minutes to complete, depending on the depth of the responses. The survey is completely anonymous. A link to access the survey is below and it will close on 10/31/26.
The views and opinions expressed in the articles contained in the Academy News are those of the identified authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Academy.