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Metric Analysis of Handwriting: A Study of Signatures

NCJ Number
186075
Journal
International Journal of Forensic Document Examiners Volume: 5 Dated: December/January 1999 Pages: 105-107
Author(s)
Deepti Jindal; Harmeet Kaur; P. K. Chattopadhyay
Date Published
1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This study conducted metric measurements for the purpose of comparing handwriting samples of the same person.
Abstract
Signature samples were collected from 49 subjects, all teachers at Punjabi University, Patiala, India. Each subject was asked to write three signatures on executive bond paper, with a gap of 15 days between each signing. The samples were collected from February to April 1995 in four installments. The length and the height of the signatures were found to vary even when they were written on the same date; however, the lowest and the highest point of the signatures and the overall pattern of writing remained the same. Further, the position of signatures on the writing surface (paper) remained the same, i.e., the position of the signatures did not show much variation in most of the cases. The variations in the two variables (height and length) were thus found to be significant. Evett and Totty (1985) have made similar observations in the significant variations in the height and length of genuine signatures. It is apparent, therefore, that these two variables do not have much significance in distinguishing between genuine and forged signatures. 1 table and 3 references

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