Forensic Science for Writers

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam.

Lesson 1
In this lesson, you'll discover how forensic evidence fuels a criminal investigation. We'll look at the many uses of forensic science?from the crime scene to the courtroom. And you'll find out about the professionals who extract clues from the scene of a crime: the first responder, lead investigator, crime scene specialists, and evidence analysts. You'll also find out how writers take advantage of the limitations of real forensic analysis to create plot twists.

Lesson 2
Investigators find a reddish stain at a crime scene. Is it blood? If so, is it human blood? If it is human, then whose blood is it? In this lesson, you'll learn how forensic scientists examine blood chemistry to answer these questions. We'll also explore how experts reconstruct a crime scene using the physical characteristics of blood. This is the science of blood spatter analysis, which we'll explore in this lesson. You'll also become familiar with classification and individualization, processes that can link a victim, a crime scene, and the perpetrator.

Lesson 3
The year 1986 marked the first time that a scientist used DNA analysis to aid a criminal investigation. Since then, DNA profiling has emerged as a vital tool of law enforcement. In this lesson, you'll discover the techniques that forensic scientists have employed to analyze DNA, including current tactics supported by extensive DNA databanks. You'll also learn a few tricks that your fictional villains can use to duck DNA analysis.

Lesson 4
Edmond Locard, one of the true pioneers of forensic science, says that every contact leaves a trace. In this lesson, you'll see how trace evidence?hair, fibers, glass fragments, paint chips, and dirt?can link a suspect and a crime. We'll also see how fictional investigators have benefited from trace evidence analysis.

Lesson 5
Do you know what a fire and an explosion have in common? Either can occur by accident or by design. And either may be used to commit a crime or to cover a crime. In this lesson, you'll discover how arson investigators determine the cause of a fire. Then, we'll explore techniques for examining the scene of an explosion. You'll also learn how your fictional protagonist can investigate a homicide-by-poison.

Lesson 6
Forensic ballistics has played a role in criminal investigations for over 200 years. In this lesson, you'll learn how experts currently perform forensic examinations of firearms. You'll find out how investigators determine the type of weapon used in a crime and link ammunition fragments to a weapon. You'll also learn about methods that experts use to reconstruct a shooting. How should your fictional investigators inspect the scene of a shooting? What can the evidence suggest about the crime? You'll learn the answer here.

Lesson 7
In this lesson, you'll see how experts scrutinize one of the oldest types of evidence used in criminal investigations: fingerprints. You'll find out how your fictional crime scene specialists can visualize hidden fingerprints, and how experts can distinguish one fingerprint from another. You've undoubtedly seen movies or TV programs that show computers conclusively matching a suspect with a fingerprint scan. But did you know this just doesn't happen in real life? In today's lesson, you'll find out the real role computers play in fingerprint analysis.

Lesson 8
Fingers aren't the only things that leave impressions at crime scenes. Tools, feet, footwear, tires, palms, teeth, lips, and even ears leave prints, as well. Today, you'll learn how investigators use these marks, and which of these techniques are frowned upon most by judges. You'll also discover how some investigators scan a suspect's brain to examine a very different type of impression: those residing in memory.

Lesson 9
In this lesson, you'll find out about two very different types of tracks: computer traces and audit trails. Computer forensic experts can use electronic evidence to establish that a crime has been committed or to link a crime with a victim or its perpetrator. You'll see how experts hunt down incriminating bits in a computer and the techniques used to thwart them. You'll also learn about forensic accounting, a specialty that has gained popularity in fact and in fiction.

Lesson 10
Today, you'll explore the contributions forensic document examiners make to an investigation. You'll find out how experts detect hidden writing, date documents, link a document with the machine that created it, and unmask forgeries. You'll also learn how adding a document examiner to your story can be of benefit. You'll even get a tip or two about what your fictional investigators should avoid when examining paper evidence.

Lesson 11
Do you know the difference between a coroner and a medical examiner? How do death investigators determine the time of death? You'll find out in this lesson. You'll also learn how investigators seek the identity of a corpse and uncover clues about the cause and manner of death.

Lesson 12
In this lesson, you'll discover how an analysis of language and behavior can support a criminal investigation. We'll also survey some exciting new techniques on the horizon, explore a brief history of forensic science developments, and we'll even investigate some famous fictional forensic investigators. You'll even learn how the current popularity of forensic science-based fiction impacts criminal trials and writers.