Reporting the value of biological findings given activity level propositions: A discussion of published recommendations
Please note: As of 1 July 2025, the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) is the new name for the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR). Research and reports published prior to this date may reference the organisation’s former name.
Abstract
Evaluation of DNA given activity propositions (EGALP) is a widely discussed topic at this time, particularly in the United States. There is concern about opinions given in testimony that are not properly founded. Guidance on evaluative reporting given alleged activities can be found in published papers, official documents, and specialized textbooks. In this work, we aim to align and compare recommendations on evaluative reporting of DNA results. Some of these recommendations are explicitly stated while others are woven into the text. All documents pertain to evaluative reporting; they agree on the use of likelihood ratios and the need to avoid the transposed conditional. There is some disagreement such as whether a quantitative or qualitative LR should be reported. However, the majority situation is that one topic is covered explicitly by one document but only implicitly covered or not mentioned in the others. We identify 19 consensus recommendations and highlight five gaps or areas of disagreement for which we offer suggestions. It is our hope that this will encourage conversations that will lead to a more uniform set of guidelines, perhaps during a periodic updating of existing documents.
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