U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated. Please refer to the Department of Justice’s contingency plan for more information.

Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court

Basic Elements of a Forensic DNA Laboratory Report

Home  |  Glossary  |  Resources  |  Help  |  Contact Us  |  Course Map
 

National standards exist for reporting DNA analysis, however, laboratories may include additional information in the analytical report. Basic elements that commonly appear in reports include the following:

  • Administrative information on the case, such as agency, file number, evidence item numbers, and suspect name.
  • Date of the report and the name and signature of the reporting analyst
  • Types of evidence items examined, and type of methodology or technique used to examine the evidence.
  • Results of the examination and/or conclusions.
  • Interpretation of the resultant data.
  • Disposition of evidence.

Reports may contain the results of any additional non-DNA tests performed to locate and characterize the type of biological evidence present.

Back Forward