Imaging Wound Ballistics - Taking Full Advantage of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Dear Colleagues,

We set up the Special Issue “Imaging Wound Ballistics” in Forensic Sciences, which covers the use of any imaging technique across the electromagnetic spectrum to document, detect, preserve and examine gunshot-related injuries or the effectiveness of a bullet in ballistic experiments.

The standard imaging technique used for the documentation of gunshot-related injuries is certainly photography. The result, a photograph, is a two-dimensional (2D) image created by visible light, which is defined as electromagnetic radiation within the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light lies between ultraviolet (shorter wavelengths) and infrared radiation (longer wavelengths). The latter is commonly used for the detection and visualization of gunshot residues. Recent approaches apply photogrammetry to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) models based on multispectral photographs (within the range of ultraviolet and near-infrared radiation). Moreover, 3D multispectral imaging allows one to document the entire external body within a broad range of electromagnetic radiation. Furthermore, it enables detecting and visualizing latent injuries and bruises in the subcutaneous tissue. To obtain information from the inside of the body, electromagnetic radiation with very short wavelengths (X-ray imaging) or very long wavelengths (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) is necessary. Radiographs (X-rays) are used to locate lodged bullets and are applied to detect bony injuries. Furthermore, 3D (X-ray) computed tomography (CT) additionally provides a better soft tissue contrast than radiographs and allows one to align the dataset according to the bullet path. MRI, in turn, yields a much higher soft tissue contrast than X-ray imaging and facilitates the detection of small soft tissue injuries. Therefore, CT and MRI are valuable imaging techniques in radiologic wound ballistics.

Since wound ballistics can be considered as the interdisciplinary intersection of forensic medicine and terminal ballistics, the imaging of ordnance gelatin, ballistic soap, or other simulants used in experimental studies are of great interest to this Special Issue.

The Special Issue “Imaging Wound Ballistics” welcomes articles (reviews, communications, original studies, technical reports, and case reports) that focus on the application of imaging techniques in gunshot-related injuries in humans, animals, or simulants in a forensic context.

Mr. Dominic Gascho
Mr. Sören Kottner
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forensic Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.