Ferraro, JosephFrancis, Kelsea2018-05-212018-05-2120182018-05-21http://hdl.handle.net/2104/10224The qualifications of expert witnesses are under scrutiny following the Daubert ruling. However, there is little consensus as to what defines an expert in a forensic field. There is no designated definition of ‘expert’ that courts use to determine whether someone is qualified enough to be an expert witness, but level of education and years of experience are important factors. This work is a preliminary analysis of the rate of skill acquisition in regards to saw mark, or kerf mark, analysis. Some kerf marks could be learned and expertly identified by analysts in as little as 5 minutes, whereas other kerfs could not, even after 30 minutes of preparation. Our findings suggest that there are some concepts within kerf mark analysis that can be mastered with high accuracy and others that cannot.en-USBaylor University projects are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.Saw marks.Kerf marks.Skill acquisition in forensics.Expert status in forensics.Kerf class.Forensics.Forensic class identification.ThesisWorldwide access