This document defines and categorizes different types of documents that may be subject to questioned document examination. It outlines public documents, official documents, private documents, commercial documents, electronic documents, paper-based documents, and holographic documents. It also defines key terms including questioned documents, questioned document examination, forensic document examiners, and reference collections.

1. I N T R O D U C T I O N
QUESTIONED DOCUMENT
EXAMINATION

2. DEFINITION

4. KINDS OF DOCUMENT

5. Public Document
 a document created, executed or issued by a public
official in response to the exigencies of the public
service, or in the execution of which a public official
intervened.

6. Official Document
 a document which is issued by a public
official in the exercise of the functions of his
office.

7. Private Document
 Every deed or instrument executed by a private
person without the intervention of a notary public or
any person legally authorized, by which the
documents some disposition or agreement is provide
evidenced or set forth.

8. Commercial Document
 Any instrument defined and regulated by the Code of
Commerce or other commercial law.

9. Electronic Document
 Exist only in electronic form such as date stored on a
computer network, back-up, archive, or other storage
media.

10. Paper-based
 Produced traditionally and manually.

11. QUESTIONED DOCUMENT
 Document is usually questioned because its origin,
its contents, or the circumstances and story
regarding its production, arouse serious suspicions
as to its genuineness, or it may be adversely
scrutinized simply because it displeases someone.

12. QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION/FORENSIC
DOCUMENT EXAMINATION
 The practice of application of document examination
to the purposes of the law.

13. FORENSIC DOCUMENT EXAMINER/QUESTIONED
DOCUMENT EXAMINER –
 refers to persons who study all aspects of a document
to determine its authenticity, origin, handwriting,
photocopies, inks and papers.

14. HOLOGRAPHIC DOCUMENT
 any document completely written and signed by one
person.

15. REFERENCE COLLECTION
 Material compiled and organized by the document
examiner to assist him in answering special
questions.