The Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal (abbreviated Can. Soc. Forensic Sci. J.) is a Canadian peer reviewed

Peer review

Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...

 academic journal

Academic journal

An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...

 which publishes original research papers, comments and reviews relating to forensic science.

The journal was founded in 1968 and is published by the Canadian Society of Forensic Science

Canadian Society of Forensic Science

The Canadian Society of Forensic Science is a professional association aimed at maintaining professional standards and promoting and enhancing the study and stature of forensic science. Membership in the society is open internationally to professionals with an active interest in the forensic...

 (CSFS). Articles may be published in either English or French and the journal is published on a quarterly basis in March, June, September and December of each year. The journal editor is Brian Yamashita.

Aims and scope

Journal articles cover topics in various domains of forensic science and are reviewed for abstract and/or indexing purposes. Topic areas for the journal include forensic chemistry

Forensic chemistry

Forensic chemistry is the application of chemistry to law enforcement or the failure of products or processes. Many different analytical methods may be used to reveal what chemical changes occurred during an incident, and so help reconstruct the sequence of events...

, forensic toxicology

Forensic toxicology

Forensic toxicology is the use of toxicology and other disciplines such as analytical chemistry, pharmacology and clinical chemistry to aid medical or legal investigation of death, poisoning, and drug use...

, questioned document examination

Questioned document examination

Questioned document examination is the forensic science discipline pertaining to documents that are in dispute in a court of law...

, forensic odontology, firearm and toolmark examination

Ballistic fingerprinting

Ballistic fingerprinting refers to a set of forensic techniques that rely on marks that firearms leave on bullets to match a bullet to the gun it was fired with...

, forensic pathology

Forensic pathology

Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...

, forensic biology

Forensic biology

Forensic biology is the application of biology to law enforcement.It includes the subdisciplines of Forensic anthropology, Forensic botany, Forensic entomology, Forensic odontology and various DNA or protein based techniques.- Applications :...

 and forensic anthropology

Forensic anthropology

Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of physical anthropology and human osteology in a legal setting, most often in criminal cases where the victim's remains are in the advanced stages of decomposition. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification of deceased...

. More general articles pertaining to forensic science and coming from the fields of social sciences

Social sciences

Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...

, jurisprudence

Jurisprudence

Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...

 or law enforcement

Police science

Police science is often an ambiguous term that denotes the studies and research which directly or indirectly deal with police work. Studies and research in criminology, forensic science, psychology, jurisprudence, community policing, criminal justice, correctional administration and penology all...

 are also published from time to time.

Abstracting and indexing information

Articles published in the journal are reviewed for abstract and/or indexing by the following services:

1. The Criminologica Foundation
2. The Authors and Literature Indexes of the Legal Medicine press
3. Ulrich's International Periodical Directory
4. Ayres Directory of Publications
5. Biosciences Information Service of Biological Abstracts
   Biological Abstracts
   Biological Abstracts is a database produced by Thomson Reuters through its subsidiary BIOSIS. It includes abstracts from peer-reviewed academic journal articles in the fields of biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, pre-clinical and experimental medicine, pharmacology, zoology, agriculture,...
   
   
6. Excerpta Medica Journals, Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences
7. The National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States and Canada
8. Canadian Serials Directory – Répertoire des Publications Sériées Canadiennes
9. Chemical Abstracts Service
   Chemical Abstracts Service
   Chemical Abstracts is a periodical index that provides summaries and indexes of disclosures in recently published scientific documents. Approximately 8,000 journals, technical reports, dissertations, conference proceedings, and new books, in any of 50 languages, are monitored yearly, as are patent...
   
   
10. Forensic-Legal Abstracts