Reference Manual on Scientfic Evidence, Third Edition

This Manual assists judges in managing cases involving complex scientific and technical evidence by describing the basic tenets of key scientific fields from which legal evidence is typically derived and by providing examples of cases in which that evidence has been used. The third edition updates and expands chapters from previous editions and includes new chapters on topics including neuroscience, mental health, and forensic science.

The manual is not intended to tell judges what is good science and what is not. Instead, it serves to help judges identify issues on which experts are likely to differ and to guide the inquiry of the court in seeking an informed resolution of the conflict.

The core of the manual consists of a series of chapters (reference guides) on various scientific topics, each authored by an expert in that field.
Each chapter is intended to provide a general overview of the topic in lay terms, identifying issues that will be useful to judges and others in the legal profession. They are written for a non-technical audience and are not intended as exhaustive presentations of the topic.

Summary Table of Contents
A detailed Table of Contents appears at the front of each chapter.
Introduction
The Admissibility of Expert Testimony
How Science Works
Reference Guides on:
• Forensic Identification Expertise
• DNA Identification Evidence
• Statistics
• Multiple Regression
• Survey Research
• Estimation of Economic Damages
• Exposure Science
• Epidemiology
• Toxicology
• Medical Testimony
• Neuroscience
• Mental Health Evidence
• Engineering
Appendix A. Biographical Information of Committee and Staff