Questioned documents, suspected of resulting from free-hand forgery, are a challenge to Forensic Document Examiners (FDEs). This article hypothesizes that there is normally a unique sequence of contracting muscles required to produce a specific signature or handwriting; the hypothesis is supported by recent EMG studies in handwriting and by kinesiology. On this basis, a 3-stage model (ElAdApp) is outlined for analyzing the process of free-hand forgery of signatures or handwriting. Using this model to examine 35 cases of forgery, quasi-randomly selected out of 700 cases, evidence of its utility is presented with case studies and statistical data. The model is advocated as a useful tool for FDEs, and a contribution towards bolstering the scientific basis of forensic document examination.
