A joint product of the Federal Judicial Center and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, Fourth Edition supports judges in managing cases involving complex scientific and technical evidence by describing the basic tenets of key scientific fields and by providing examples of cases in which that evidence has been used. It is intended to assist judges in identifying issues commonly in dispute and to help judges reach an informed and reasoned assessment of those issues based on expert evidence that is faithful to the law and within the boundaries of scientifically sound knowledge.

In the fourth edition, all reference guides from the previous edition have undergone extensive revision or have been written by new authors. New guides have been added to address eyewitness identification, computer science, artificial intelligence, and climate science, along with a new foreword from Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Elena Kagan.

The Federal Judicial Center distributes hard copies of the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence to the federal judiciary. The public may purchase copies from the National Academies Press©, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242; https://nap.nationalacademies.org.