Expert reports: Enhancing reader friendliness while maintaining scientific correctness

The communication of expert evidence is an important part of forensic scientists' roles. However, it presents a substantial challenge for criminal justice practitioners. Forensic scientists must meet various reporting requirements and organisational protocols when communicating their findings and opinions and they must balance scientific correctness with layperson understanding. Although police officers, lawyers and judges may encounter various types of evidence in their roles, they may not have a background in science and may lack familiarity with forensic disciplines or techniques used in their cases. Despite this, the expert report is often relied upon within the criminal justice system, without additional discussion or forensic testimony from the forensic scientist. This presentation touches upon some key debates and discusses research findings about expert reports over the last 15 years. While some aspects of reporting remain contentious, there are several ways to enhance the reader friendliness of reports. The presentation therefore highlights some elements to consider when writing expert reports or modifying existing reporting templates in terms of the content and sequence of information, the language used, and the format of the report. The presentation invites an ongoing discussion of practices across organisations and jurisdictions.