THE TEXT BEGINS WITH A GENERAL THEORY OF INVESTIGATION WHICH IS DEVELOPED ALONG WITH AN ELUCIDATION OF THE PRINCIPLES AND CRITERIA USEFUL IN THE EVALUATION OF A SUCCESSFUL INVESTIGATION. OTHER SECTIONS DEAL WITH THE INITIAL STEPS IN A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION; OBTAINING INFORMATION; SPECIFIC OFFENSES SUCH AS ARSON, NARCOTICS VIOLATIONS, SEX OFFENSES, THEFT, FORGERY, HOMICIDE AND CRIMINAL EXPLOSIONS; THE INVESTIGATOR IN COURT; IDENTIFICATION AND REPRODUCTION INVOLVING OBSERVATION AND DESCRIPTION, IDENTIFICATION BY WITNESSES, FINGERPRINTS, LAUNDRY AND DRY CLEANING MARKS, AND VARIOUS IMPRESSIONS; SPECIALIZED SCIENTIFIC METHODS INVOLVING STAINS, TRACES AND CHEMICAL ANALYSES, FIREARMS, TESTS FOR INTOXICATION, HAIR AND FIBERS, INVISIBLE RADIATION AND DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE; AND INVESTIGATIVE OPERATIONS. THIS EDITION UPDATES THE PREVIOUS EDITION (NCJ-31559) WITH INFORMATION ON COMPUTERIZED INVESTIGATIVE METHODS AND FEDERAL DATA BANK RESOURCES AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS, GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY, AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC TECHNIQUES. METHODOLOGY AND TYPOLOGY ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS OFFENSES RECEIVE DETAILED TREATMENT IN THIS EDITION, AS DOES OFFENDER PERSONALITY IN RELATION TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE OFFENSE. FOR THE FIRST TIME, A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED FOR THE STUDENT WHO WISHES TO DO FURTHER RESEARCH. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT) (SNI ABSTRACT)