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Forensic Science: From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab, 5th edition

Published by Pearson (January 15, 2025) © 2026

  • Richard Saferstein Forensic Science Consultant
  • Tiffany Roy

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  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
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  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
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In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More supportive. Get AI explanations and practice questions (select titles).
  • More interactive. Bring learning to life with audio, videos, and diagrams.
  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
  • More understandable. Translate text into 100+ languages with one tap.

In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More supportive. Get AI explanations and practice questions (select titles).
  • More interactive. Bring learning to life with audio, videos, and diagrams.
  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
  • More understandable. Translate text into 100+ languages with one tap.

In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More supportive. Get AI explanations and practice questions (select titles).
  • More interactive. Bring learning to life with audio, videos, and diagrams.
  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
  • More understandable. Translate text into 100+ languages with one tap.

Title overview

Forensic Science: From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab presents an accessible introduction to forensic science that is ideal for nonscientists. Authors Richard Saferstein and Tiffany Roy focus on practical applications of forensic technologies, integrating scientific methods into discussions of investigative techniques. A major focus is the role of the crime-scene investigator in preserving, recording and collecting physical evidence at the crime scene.

The 5th Edition offers updated coverage of key topics such as DNA transfer and recovery, plus new images that clearly demonstrate the morphology of animal hairs. New case files in select chapters illustrate how forensic technology has been applied to solving crimes of notoriety.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Securing and Searching the Crime Scene
  3. Recording the Crime Scene
  4. Collection of Crime-Scene Evidence
  5. Physical Evidence
  6. Death Investigation
  7. Crime-Scene Reconstruction
  8. Forensic Biometrics: Fingerprints and Facial Recognition
  9. Firearms, Tool Marks and Other Impressions
  10. Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
  11. Drugs
  12. Forensic Toxicology
  13. Trace Evidence 1: Hairs and Fibers
  14. Trace Evidence 2: Paint, Glass and Soil
  15. Biological Stain Analysis: DNA
  16. Forensic Aspects of Fires and Explosives: Analysis versus Investigation
  17. Document Examination
  18. Computer Forensics
  19. Digital and Multimedia Forensics: Cell Phones, Video and Audio

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