The Fingerprint Sourcebook is the definitive guide to the science of fingerprint identification.

The Sourcebook will be published in stages. Select a link below to view the available chapters. (Sign up to receive an e-mail update whenever NIJ releases a new chapter, or any new publication.)

• Chapter 1: History (pdf, 18 pages)
  By Jeffery G. Barnes
• Chapter 2: Anatomy and Physiology of Adult Friction Ridge Skin
• Chapter 3: Embryology, Physiology, and Morphology
• Chapter 4: Recording Living and Postmortem Friction Ridge Skin Exemplars (pdf, 18 pages)
  By Brent T. Cutro, Sr.
• Chapter 5: Systems of Friction Ridge Classification
• Chapter 6: Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)
• Chapter 7: Latent Print Development
• Chapter 8: The Preservation of Friction Ridge Information
• Chapter 9: Examination Methodology
• Chapter 10: Documentation of Friction Ridge Impressions: From the Scene to the Conclusion
• Chapter 11: Equipment
• Chapter 12: Quality Assurance
• Chapter 13: Fingerprints and the Law
• Chapter 14: Scientific Research in the Forensic Discipline of Friction Ridge Individualization
• Chapter 15: Special Abilities and Vulnerabilities in Forensic Expertise