Cases

Typical scenarios within this site’s subject: questions to ask, materials to prepare and points that can be examined.

Typical scenarios

OCR errors are treated as the writer's habits

If authorship comparison uses OCR versions of scanned letters, repeated letter substitutions and broken words may originate in the same recognition program. In this typical case they entered a linguistic feature table. Check the page images before treating repeated errors as individual habits.

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Typical scenarios

Translated samples treated as original writing

If an authorship report compares a disputed original with translations of verified texts, the translator or translation system may have changed the very features assessed. Several explanations may be possible, so the specific materials are examined in full, preserving information about their provenance and preparation conditions. The proposition to be tested is defined before comparative assessment of the features.

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Typical scenarios

Writing differences between sections of a joint report

If a joint report combines sections by several contributors, one authorship conclusion for the whole document may conceal linguistic heterogeneity. Several explanations may be possible, so the specific materials are examined in full, preserving information about their provenance and preparation conditions. The proposition to be tested is defined before comparative assessment of the features.

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Typical scenarios

An edited column is attributed to a single writer

If a published column differs substantially from its draft, contributors may describe their roles differently. Both versions and the editor correspondence can help determine which passages remain suitable for authorship comparison after another person’s revisions.

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Typical scenarios

A disputed business letter uses a corporate template

If authorship of a business letter is disputed, similarities with other company documents may come from a shared template. Editing before dispatch may add another complication.

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Typical scenarios

Two publications share paragraphs and cite a common source

If two publications share paragraphs while naming the same public source, a similarity percentage is insufficient. Quotations, fixed expressions, names and editorial elements may inflate the overlap. Differences and the sequence of available versions also matter.

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Authorship examination: text authorship, anonymous messages, correspondence, style and expert report reviews
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