ASTM E620-11

Designation: E620 − 11Standard Practice forReporting Opinions of Scientific or Technical Experts1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E620; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This practice covers the scope of information to becontained in formal written technical reports which express theopinions of the scientific or technical expert with respect to thestudy of items that are or may reasonably be expected to be thesubject of criminal or civil litigation.1.2 If compliance with this standard is claimed, the justifi-cations for any deviations from this standard must be docu-mented.1.3 This standard may involve hazardous materials, opera-tions, and equipment. This standard does not purport toaddress all of the safety concerns associated with its use. It isthe responsibility of whoever uses this standard to consult andestablish appropriate safety and health practices and deter-mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E678 Practice for Evaluation of Scientific or Technical Data3. Significance and Use3.1 This practice establishes those elements of the expert’sopinion report which will make the report understandable tothe intended recipient and focus on the technical aspectsgermane to the purpose for which the opinion is rendered.4. Report Content4.1 While this standard does not specify report format, thefollowing information shall be included:4.1.1 Descriptive Information— The following informa-tion shall be contained within the report, preferably in theintroduction:4.1.2 Identifying number and date the report was prepared,4.1.3 Name, address, and affiliation of each person who hasrendered an opinion contained in the report,4.1.4 Name of the person or organization, or both, request-ing the report,4.1.5 Generic description of the item(s) examined togetherwith specific data to uniquely identify the item(s) such as aserial number, marking, or some other means of adequatelyidentifying the item(s) examined,4.1.6 Date and location of examination,4.1.7 The scope of investigative activities performed inpreparation for reaching conclusions and opinions.4.2 Pertinent Facts:4.2.1 The report shall contain all facts that are pertinent tothe opinion rendered and shall be reported in accordance withthe classifications set forth in 4.2.1.1 and 4.2.1.2.4.2.1.1 Identify those facts and data based on the observa-tions by the expert of the item(s) in question or photographsthereof.4.2.1.2 Identify other facts and data that the expert reliesupon in rendering an opinion.4.2.2 Whenever pertinent findings of fact are establishedthrough examination or testing, the person(s) rendering theopinion based on such findings shall have either supervised,conducted, participated in or observed such examination ortesting, and failing to do any one of them shall list the nameand business address of each person who supervised orconducted each examination or test establishing such findingsof fact.4.2.3 Evaluate facts and data according to Practice E678.4.3 Opinions and Conclusions:4.3.1 The report shall contain all of the technical opinionsand conclusions rendered by the expert concerning the purposefor which the expert was engaged.4.3.2 The report shall contain the logic and reasoning of theexpert by which each of the opinions and conclusions werereached.4.4 Signature:4.4.1 The report shall contain the signature of each personwho has rendered a joint or separate opinion contained in thereport. The signature(s) shall be at the end of the opinion. Aprofessional seal should be used, if applicable. If an opinionrendered is that of two or more experts, a signature page maybe used.1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E30 on ForensicSciences and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E30.11 on Interdisciplin-ary Forensic Science Standards.Current edition approved May 1, 2011. Published June 2011. Originallyapproved in 1977. Last previous edition approved in 2004 as E620 – 04. DOI:10.1520/E0620-11.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States14.5 The experts’ qualifications may be included with thereport, if requested.4.6 Formats:4.6.1 In some jurisdictions, the format and content of thereport may be specified in court rules.4.7 Appendix:4.7.1 An appendix may be used in connection with thereport. The appendix may contain tables, graphs, charts,photos, drawings, test results or data, and other appropriateinformation pertinent to the opinion.ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the riskof infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five years andif not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional standardsand should be addressed to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of theresponsible technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you shouldmake your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the aboveaddress or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or service@astm.org (e-mail); or through the ASTM website(www.astm.org). Permission rights to photocopy the standard may also be secured from the ASTM website (www.astm.org/COPYRIGHT/).E620 − 112