Forensic document examiner vs forensic scientist

The differences between forensic document examiners and forensic scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a forensic document examiner and a forensic scientist. Additionally, a forensic scientist has an average salary of $71,351, which is higher than the $56,007 average annual salary of a forensic document examiner.

The top three skills for a forensic document examiner include customer service, and . The most important skills for a forensic scientist are laboratory equipment, physical evidence, and analytical procedures.

Forensic document examiner vs forensic scientist overview

	Forensic Document Examiner	Forensic Scientist
Yearly salary	$56,007	$71,351
Hourly rate	$26.93	$34.30
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	5,304	43,335
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic document examiner vs forensic scientist salary

Forensic document examiners and forensic scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Document Examiner	Forensic Scientist
Average salary	$56,007	$71,351
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $109,000	Between $45,000 And $112,000
Highest paying City	-	Lincoln, NE
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Alere
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between forensic document examiner and forensic scientist education

There are a few differences between a forensic document examiner and a forensic scientist in terms of educational background:

	Forensic Document Examiner	Forensic Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Biology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	California State University - Bakersfield

Forensic document examiner vs forensic scientist demographics

Here are the differences between forensic document examiners' and forensic scientists' demographics:

	Forensic Document Examiner	Forensic Scientist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 11.4% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between forensic document examiner and forensic scientist duties and responsibilities

Forensic document examiner example responsibilities.

Examine evidence hard drives and other media devices with FTK following chain-of-custody procedures for manual processing procedures.
Bob provide computer expertise for DOD criminal, fraud, and counterintelligence investigations and analyzing all computer evidence.

Forensic scientist example responsibilities.

Perform organic and robotic DNA extraction, real-time PCR, serology testing, data maintenance/analysis/comparison, documentation, and report writing.
Prepare STR products for size separation via CE on ABI [].
Extract, quantify (RT-PCR), amplify (PCR), and analyze human DNA.
Experience with GC/MS, ELISA, FPIA, HPLC/DAD, UV-Vis spectroscopy, GC/FID, GC/NPD, and LC/QQQ.
Skil in STR mixture deductions.
Maintain, calibrate and clean pipettes.

Forensic document examiner vs forensic scientist skills

Common forensic document examiner skills

Customer Service, 100%

Common forensic scientist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 11%
Physical Evidence, 10%
Analytical Procedures, 5%
Extraction, 5%
Criminal Justice, 5%
Test Results, 5%

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Forensic Document Examiner
Forensic Document Examiner vs Forensic Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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