Example forensic science dissertation topic 5:

An evaluation of different brands of furniture polish on the forensic Luminol test.

Chemiluminescent blood stain analysis (through the use of Luminol) can be affected by different factors. Creamer et al. (2003) noted that various substances interfere with the forensic Luminol test for blood, such as bleach, parsnips, tea, copper, and so on. They also observed that some furniture polishes interfered with this important test for blood stains. This dissertation evaluates an exhaustive list of commercially available furniture polishes to determine how widely this factor may affect blood stain analysis. The purpose of this is to establish the likelihood of furniture polish proving false negative results, with particular emphasis on classifying the polishes within economic bands.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Barni, F., Lewis, S.W., Berti, A., Miskelly, G.M. and Lago, G. (2007).’ Forensic application of the luminol reaction as a presumptive test for latent blood detection’. Talanta, vol. 72(3), pp. 896-913.
• Creamer, J.I., Quickenden, T.I., Apanah, M.V., Kerr, K A. and Robertson, P. (2003), ‘A comprehensive experimental study of industrial, domestic and environmental interferences with the forensic luminol test for blood’. Luminescence, vol. 18, pp. 193-198.
• Dilbeck, L. (2006). ‘Use of Bluestar forensic in lieu of Luminol at crime scenes’. Journal of Forensic Identification, vol. 56(5), pp. 706-720.