Disputed text
The complete version of a message, letter, publication or other text, without correcting the original errors.
Samples
Texts of known origin independently written by the presumed author; preferably several comparable in genre and time.
Origin
State the source and method of obtaining each item, known versions and the grounds for considering a sample reliable.
Case context
Where available, send the decision, court order, questions, previous expert report and significant circumstances.
Submission
The form accepts up to 10 files of 10 MB each, with a maximum total of 15 MB; arrange larger collections separately.
Terms for submitting materials
Text inventory before authorship comparison
A convenient set begins by separating two groups: disputed texts and comparison samples of known origin. Preserve the complete available version of each item. If material is presented in several files, explain whether they relate to one publication, different versions or separate messages.
Useful inventory information includes the text identifier, date or period of creation, genre, addressee and method of obtaining it. State separately why the sample is attributed to a particular author. A profile label or a name in a forwarded file does not itself resolve this question; the available information about the preparation and origin of the material matters.
- For a letter, retain the related thread and attachments.
- For a publication, retain the main text and the posting context relevant to the task.
- For a series of messages, retain the order of remarks and the attribution of each to a participant according to the submitted materials.
- For an edited document, retain the available previous version and information about the nature of the edits.
Anonymisation must not remove linguistic features needed for comparison. It is therefore best to agree in advance on which information to conceal, preserving the originals separately. Do not turn the samples into a collection corrected for literary style: habitual errors, abbreviations and formatting may form part of the written language being examined. In the covering note, state unknown circumstances explicitly rather than filling them in with assumptions.