Concept Taxonomy¶
This taxonomy organizes the 258 concepts in this course into 14 natural categories aligned with the 15 textbook chapters (Chapters 11 and 12 share an ANTHRO/ENTOM split). Each category has a 3–6 letter TaxonomyID used in the CSV and graph viewer legend.
Category Definitions¶
1. Foundation Concepts (FOUND)¶
TaxonomyID: FOUND
Description: Concepts from Chapter 1 that establish the scientific, historical, and legal foundations of forensic science. Includes the history of forensic science, the scientific method, the Locard Exchange Principle, evidence admissibility standards (Daubert, Frye), constitutional law (4th and 5th Amendments), expert witness roles, and the structure of the criminal justice system. These are the course entry points with no prerequisites — the roots of the learning graph.
Concepts: 1–15 (15 concepts, 5.8%)
2. Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)¶
TaxonomyID: CSI
Description: Concepts from Chapter 2 covering the systematic protocols for processing a crime scene. Includes chain of custody, the Seven S's methodology, documentation techniques (photography, sketching, triangulation), evidence search patterns, and evidence packaging. Foundational procedural knowledge applied in every subsequent module.
Concepts: 16–35 (20 concepts, 7.8%)
3. Fingerprint Analysis (PRINTS)¶
TaxonomyID: PRINTS
Description: Concepts from Chapter 3 (dactyloscopy). Covers friction ridge skin anatomy, dermal papillae, the three pattern families (loops, whorls, arches) and their subtypes, minutiae analysis (ridge endings, bifurcations), the three print types (patent, plastic, latent), chemical and physical development techniques (cyanoacrylate, ninhydrin, silver nitrate, iodine), and AFIS database matching.
Concepts: 36–57 (22 concepts, 8.5%)
4. Trace Evidence (TRACE)¶
TaxonomyID: TRACE
Description: Concepts from Chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4 covers hair anatomy (cuticle, cortex, medulla), medullary index calculation, human versus non-human hair differentiation, fiber types, microscopy, and burn testing. Chapter 5 covers glass refractive index, Becke line testing, fracture mechanics (3R Rule, radial vs. concentric lines), soil composition, pH measurement, and gradient tube density.
Concepts: 58–85 (28 concepts, 10.9%)
5. Forensic Serology (SERO)¶
TaxonomyID: SERO
Description: Concepts from Chapter 6 covering the analysis of biological fluids. Includes blood composition (erythrocytes, leukocytes, plasma), presumptive tests (Kastle-Meyer, Luminol, Fluorescein), confirmatory tests, ABO blood typing, Rh factor, agglutination chemistry, secretor status, and detection of semen (PSA), saliva (amylase), and urine.
Concepts: 86–101 (16 concepts, 6.2%)
6. Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA)¶
TaxonomyID: BPA
Description: Concepts from Chapter 7. Covers the physics of falling blood drops (surface tension, viscosity, cohesion), low/medium/high-velocity impact spatter classifications, angle of impact trigonometry (sin θ = width/length), area of convergence and area of origin in 3D space, stringing technique, and the taxonomy of passive, transfer, and projected/impact stains.
Concepts: 102–117 (16 concepts, 6.2%)
7. Forensic DNA Profiling (DNA)¶
TaxonomyID: DNA
Description: Concepts from Chapter 8. Covers nuclear vs. mitochondrial DNA, short tandem repeats (STRs), CODIS loci, polymerase chain reaction (denaturation, annealing, extension), capillary electrophoresis, electropherogram interpretation, alleles and heterozygosity, Y-STR lineage analysis, random match probability, and the product rule in forensic statistics.
Concepts: 118–135 (18 concepts, 7.0%)
8. Chemical Analysis & Toxicology (CHEM)¶
TaxonomyID: CHEM
Description: Concepts from Chapter 9. Covers pharmacokinetics (ADME: absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination), the Controlled Substances Act schedule system, color presumptive tests (Marquis, Scott, Duquenois-Levine), gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, GC-MS and LC-MS/MS confirmatory analysis, blood alcohol concentration, BAC retro-extrapolation, and poison toxicology (cyanide, carbon monoxide, heavy metals).
Concepts: 136–154 (19 concepts, 7.4%)
9. Fire, Arson & Explosives (FIRE)¶
TaxonomyID: FIRE
Description: Concepts from Chapter 10. Covers the fire tetrahedron (fuel, oxygen, heat, chain reaction), combustion and oxidation chemistry, ignition temperature, flash point, arson investigation, accelerant pour patterns, multiple points of origin, V-patterns, spalling, headspace analysis, SPME technique, and the classification of low vs. high explosives with post-blast diagnostic analysis.
Concepts: 155–169 (15 concepts, 5.8%)
10. Forensic Anthropology (ANTHRO)¶
TaxonomyID: ANTHRO
Description: Concepts from Chapter 11. Covers human osteology (206 bones), skeletal anatomy, pelvic morphology for biological sex estimation (subpubic angle, sciatic notch), cranial sex indicators, epiphyseal fusion and cranial suture closure for age-at-death estimation, long bone stature regression equations, and differentiation of antemortem, perimortem, and postmortem skeletal trauma.
Concepts: 170–185 (16 concepts, 6.2%)
11. Forensic Entomology (ENTOM)¶
TaxonomyID: ENTOM
Description: Concepts from Chapter 12 (taphonomy). Covers the five stages of decomposition (fresh, bloat, active decay, advanced decay, dry remains), blowfly (Calliphoridae) lifecycle (egg, larval instars, pupa, adult), Accumulated Degree Hours (ADH) and Accumulated Degree Days (ADD) models, minimum post-mortem interval (mPMI) calculation, insect succession ecology, and environmental variables that affect colonization timelines.
Concepts: 186–202 (17 concepts, 6.6%)
12. Firearms, Ballistics & Toolmarks (ARMS)¶
TaxonomyID: ARMS
Description: Concepts from Chapter 13. Covers internal ballistics (rifling, lands and grooves, breech face marks, firing pin impressions, ejector marks), external ballistics (trajectory), terminal ballistics (entrance/exit wounds, wound morphology, ricochet), gunshot residue (GSR) and the Modified Griess test, toolmark analysis (compression, sliding, cutting marks), serial number restoration via acid etching, and comparison microscopy.
Concepts: 203–222 (20 concepts, 7.8%)
13. Document Examination (DOCX)¶
TaxonomyID: DOCX
Description: Concepts from Chapter 14. Covers handwriting analysis (twelve structural characteristics, line quality, slant, spacing), exemplar collection protocols, forgery types (blind, simulated, traced), ink chemistry analysis via paper chromatography and thin-layer chromatography (TLC), counterfeit currency detection, security features (watermarks, security threads, infrared ink), and document authentication.
Concepts: 223–237 (15 concepts, 5.8%)
14. Digital Forensics (DIGIT)¶
TaxonomyID: DIGIT
Description: Concepts from Chapter 15. Covers digital storage architecture (volatile RAM vs. non-volatile HDD/SSD), write-blocker hardware, forensic imaging and bit-stream copies, cryptographic hashing (MD5, SHA-256) for evidence integrity, EXIF metadata recovery, digital timestamps and geolocation, network forensics (IP analysis, packet sniffing, firewall logs), encryption, steganography, and dark web evidence tracking.
Concepts: 238–258 (21 concepts, 8.1%)
Taxonomy Summary Table¶
| # | Category Name | TaxonomyID | Concepts | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foundation Concepts | FOUND | 15 | 5.8% |
| 2 | Crime Scene Investigation | CSI | 20 | 7.8% |
| 3 | Fingerprint Analysis | PRINTS | 22 | 8.5% |
| 4 | Trace Evidence | TRACE | 28 | 10.9% |
| 5 | Forensic Serology | SERO | 16 | 6.2% |
| 6 | Bloodstain Pattern Analysis | BPA | 16 | 6.2% |
| 7 | Forensic DNA Profiling | DNA | 18 | 7.0% |
| 8 | Chemical Analysis & Toxicology | CHEM | 19 | 7.4% |
| 9 | Fire, Arson & Explosives | FIRE | 15 | 5.8% |
| 10 | Forensic Anthropology | ANTHRO | 16 | 6.2% |
| 11 | Forensic Entomology | ENTOM | 17 | 6.6% |
| 12 | Firearms, Ballistics & Toolmarks | ARMS | 20 | 7.8% |
| 13 | Document Examination | DOCX | 15 | 5.8% |
| 14 | Digital Forensics | DIGIT | 21 | 8.1% |
| TOTAL | 258 | 100% |
All categories are between 5.8% and 10.9% — well within the 30% maximum threshold. No MISC category was needed; every concept has a natural home chapter.