NCJ Number
186087
Journal
International Journal of Forensic Document Examiners Volume: 5 Dated: December/January 1999 Pages: 255-260
Date Published
1999
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This research shows that by looking at the sequence and/or form of letters/characters of signatures, the Sequelagramy Tracing Method can be used to reach definitive conclusions when the signature samples are limited in number.
Abstract
The traditional method of signature identification adopts the characteristics of identification that have been popularized all over the world. Although this field is enriched and broadened by the psycholinguistic approach developed by the FBI to investigate anonymous letters and threatening communications, this approach is only a situational analysis, not a true identification method. The current research collected 344 signatures from English-speaking Chinese in Southeast Asia. An examination of these signatures found that a person may sign his/her signature in several ways; most of the subjects in the sample presented two or three different ways of signing their signatures. In signature comparison, it is not only the characteristics of the letters or strokes that matter, but also the formation of the signature that distinguishes it from other writers. Some writers construct their signature in their own peculiar manner. These special arrangements and designs that are different from a monogramic signature are called the Sequelagram Tracing Method. This study identified four types of signatures and the factors that should be noted in distinguishing types of signatures. Three cases are selected for detailed analysis. 8 tables and 4 references