Technology in Forensic Sciences: Innovation and Precision

Response to Reviewer 1 Comments

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please find the detailed responses below and the corresponding revisions/corrections highlighted in the re-submitted files.

            Point-by-point response to Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Comments 1: References: Line 348 insert AI & professional liability see Front Med (Lausanne), 2024 Jan 8:10:1337335. Line 357 insert Int J Legal Med, 2019 Jul;133(4):1149-1158. Line 382 insert Autopsy and Micro Radiology Techniques see Leg Med (Tokyo), 2017 Nov;29:38-43. Line 462 insert the hair matrix see Ther Drug Monit, 2013 Aug;35(4):493-501. Line 751 insert the development of apps for mobile phones and tablets based on standardized methodological approaches useful for “pre-diagnosis” at the crime scene (ie suicide, homicide and natural/accidental death) see Forensic Sci Int. 2019 Apr;297:148-155.

Response 1: Thank you for recommendations. We have included the recommended quotes to enrich the article's content. Recommended citations have been incorporated to enrich the text on lines 348, 357, 382, 462 and 751

                Response to Comments on the Quality of English Language

Point 1:

Simplify Technical Explanations:

-  Original: "The processing of the scanned information is visualized and manipulated using three-dimensional modeling software such as 3ds MAX, Maya, and LightWave 3D."

-  Revised: "The scanned data is processed and visualized with 3D modeling software like 3ds MAX, Maya, and LightWave 3D."

Response 1:

Thank you very much for your review, we have included the revised text.

Point 2:

Avoid Jargon Without Explanation:

-          Original: "This question is relevant to understanding how technological developments impact forensic investigation and its multiple disciplines."

-          Revised: "This question helps understand how new technologies affect forensic investigations and their various fields."

Response 2:

Thank you very much for your review, we have included the revised text.

Point 3:

Grammar and Punctuation:

-          Original: "The dataset with the details of the review is available at [7]. Scientific papers published in the last five years, obtained from databases such as SCOPUS, Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, and IEEE, have been considered as part of the reference information."

-          Revised: "The dataset with the review details is available at [7]. Scientific papers published in the last five years from databases like SCOPUS, Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, and IEEE were considered as reference information."

Response 3:

Thank you very much for your review, we have included the revised text.

Point 4:

Avoid Long and Complex Sentences:

-          Original: "A systematic review of the scientific literature has used the PRISMA® methodology, taking documents published in scientific databases and repositories such as SCOPUS, Web of Sciences, Francis and Taylor, PubMed, and ProQuest."

-          Revised: "The systematic review of scientific literature used the PRISMA® methodology, analyzing documents from databases like SCOPUS, Web of Science, Francis and Taylor, PubMed, and ProQuest."

Response 4:

Thank you very much for your review, we have included the revised text.

Point 5:

Refine Conjunctions and Clauses:

-          Original: "The contributions to the accuracy of the results and optimization of resources in forensic investigation were described as a second objective."

-          Revised: "The second objective was to describe how these technologies improve result accuracy and resource optimization in forensic investigations."

Response 5:

Thank you very much for your review, we have included the revised text.

Point 6:

Consistent Use of Terms:

-          Original: "The inclusion of articles was based on documents dealing with technologies that contribute to the accuracy and benefits of forensic investigation at crime scenes."

-          Revised: "Articles were included if they discussed technologies that improve the accuracy and benefits of forensic investigations at crime scenes."

Response 6:

Thank you very much for your review, we have included the revised text.

Response to Reviewer 2 Comments

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please find the detailed responses below and the corresponding revisions/corrections highlighted/in resubmitted file.

Point 1:

Page 1 line 21; this is not a complete sentence

Response 1:

The sentence has been improved with the following text:

“The systematic review of scientific literature used the PRISMA® methodology, analyzing documents from databases like SCOPUS, Web of Science, Francis and Taylor, PubMed, and ProQuest.”

Point 2:

Page 1 line 24 this is a run-on sentence; break it up into a couple sentences

Response 2:

The sentence has been improved with the following text:

“Studies were selected using a Cohen Kappa coefficient of 0.463. 53 reference articles were selected.”

Point 3:

Page 3 line 83 the authors have to have a couple sentences saying what PRISMA is; reference 7 is hard to get to; there must be an addiƟonal reference; I can’t locate this reference

Response 3:

The sentence has been improved with the following text:

The PRISMA® methodology is a guide to improve the transparency and quality of systematic review and meta-analysis reports, including a checklist, a structured summary, and flowcharts to document the review process

The access link to reference 7 has been updated:

https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/264nznwdm9/1

Point 4:

page 3 table 1 what is JRS? The authors need to reference this or explain what it is

Response 4:

The meaning of "SJR" has been clarified:

“Is the journal or conference in which the article was published indexed in Scimago Journal & Country Rank (SJR)?”

Point 5:

page 6 line 218 put the meaning of this word “IoT” in parentheses next to the term

Response 5:

The meaning of IoT has been clarified:

The information on Internet of Things (IoT) devices presents new and varied ways to obtain user information.

Point 6:

page 7 line 235 put (I.A). in parentheses next to the words

Response 6:

The recommended items have been included:

“Artificial intelligence (A.I.) currently provides support to multiple forensic areas, such as the area of forensic anthropology, in which A.I. applications have been proposed for the determination of the sex of the victim, for which a convolutional neural network (CNN) has been used to learn the dysmorphic sexual characteristics of skulls using 3D skull reconstructions derived from computed tomography scans as a reference.”

Point 7:

page 7 line 242 does reference 17 refer to this number?

Response 7:

A quote from the article entitled:

“Artificial intelligence in forensic odontology – A review”

Point 8:

page 7 line 247 you may need more references here

Response 8:

A citation from the article entitled:

“Digital whole-slide image analysis for automated diatom test in forensic cases of drowning using a convolutional neural network algorithm”

Point 9:

page 10 line 413 I think you should rethink "lab on a chip"; this is an old reference and I have not heard this term used in many many years. This reference is too old

Response 9:

The text has been improved and a more current quote entitled:

“Forensic DNA Analysis: An Overview of the Laboratory Process”

Point 10:

page 11 line 456 this is a stretch especially with respect to age and even origin in many cases; please reference this; it may not be relevant or true.

Response 10:

An article has been included that mentions advances in estimating the age of samples taken at the crime scene:

“Prediction of chronological age and its applications in forensic casework: methods, current practices, and future perspective”

Point 11:  

page 12 line 500 does reference 45 cover this??? I had never heard of this before.

Response 11:

The text has been improved for better understanding and the respective citation has been included:

"Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiology can be enhanced with the use of virtual reality (VR) in forensics by detailed 2D and 3D reconstruction of forensic findings"

Reference: “Virtopsy, a New Imaging Horizon in Forensic Pathology: Virtual Autopsy by Postmortem Multislice Computed Tomography (MSCT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)—a Feasibility Study*”

Point 12:

page 17 line 673 what does multiple bases mean?

Response 12:

Improved wording for better understanding and included a citation:

“Mobile communication presents challenges when transmitting large amounts of information, such as DNA analysis that must be compared with large databases and complexity of identification parameters.”

Reference: “Error rates in forensic DNA analysis: Definition, numbers, impact and communication”.

Point 13:

page 19 line 732 isn't this a reality now??? our lab had one but could not do DNA testing or chemical analysis. This should be mencioned as an augmentation of current capabilities

Response 13:

Improved wording as recommended:

“The deployment of forensic response vehicles equipped with a full range of capabilities such as DNA analysis, chemical analysis of explosives and illicit substances, digital evidence analysis together with the support of drones, forensic robots and portable 3D scanning devices allow the execution of Comprehensive investigations in the forensic field.”