Forensic Sciences : The Genesis of a New Open Access Journal Focused on the Latest Scientiﬁc Advances

Nowadays, and from a scientific point of view, Forensic Sciences are a fascinating “brave new world” that also attracts media attention due to the constant challenges that forensic scientists face [...]

In the history of Forensic Sciences, Ambroise Paré (1510-1590; Figure 1) should be remembered. He was a barber surgeon who systematically studied the effects of violent death on internal organs and he is considered to be one of the fathers of surgery and modern Forensic Pathology. There are, therefore, separate disciplines within the Forensic Sciences. Hence, the Forensic Sciences journal aims to focus on all their scientific aspects, emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in forensic investigation. This means that in some cases it is difficult to draw exact separation lines between some of the forensic disciplines, as certain practices and procedures may overlap, a fact easily understood in science. This new journal is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal related to the latest advances of Forensic Sciences, either in living beings or in the deceased. Thus, it will publish original articles, reviews, short communications, letters to the editor, case reports, technical notes, and commentaries, with no restriction on the length of the papers. Our main aim is to encourage scientists to dedicate their efforts to apply Forensic Sciences in the administration of justice. We will mainly discuss the principal/classical and also the emergent branches of Forensic Sciences that include: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, Computer Forensics, Criminology, Document Examination, Forensic Accounting (also known as Forensic Accountancy or Financial Forensics), Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Archaeology, Forensic Art, Forensic Astronomy, Forensic Ballistics, Forensic Biomechanics, Forensic Botany, Forensic Chemistry, Forensic Engineering, Forensic Entomology, Forensic Genetics, Forensic Geology, Forensic Geomorphology, Forensic Geophysics, Forensic Journalism, Forensic Linguistics, Forensic Lophoscopy, Forensic Medicine (that embraces all aspects of forensic work of a medical nature, including Forensic Pathology), Forensic Meteorology, Forensic Microbiology, Forensic Nursing, Forensic Odontology, Forensic Palynology, Forensic Photography, Forensic Psychiatry, Forensic Psychology, Forensic Radiology, Forensic Seismology, Forensic Social Work, Forensic Toxicology, Handwriting Analysis, Investigation in Forest Fires, and also Wildlife Forensic Science, among others. A particular interest will be devoted to pedagogical and educational innovation of the teaching curriculums of multiple forensic disciplines [5].
The Editorial Board of Forensic Sciences invites high-quality contributions in the field of Forensic Sciences and wishes all future contributors and readers all the best for this new scientific project.

Short Bio of Prof. Dr. Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira
Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira, PhD, European PhD, DSc, is a Forensic Sciences expert, namely in Toxicology and Forensic Medicine areas, and he contributes to scientific and academic activity in the areas of Toxicology and Pharmacology of Psychoactive Substances, Pesticides and Medicines in their preclinical, clinical and forensic aspects, and in Forensic Medicine, namely the development of mathematical models to calculate the postmortem interval, known as the Holy Grail of Forensic There are, therefore, separate disciplines within the Forensic Sciences. Hence, the Forensic Sciences journal aims to focus on all their scientific aspects, emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in forensic investigation. This means that in some cases it is difficult to draw exact separation lines between some of the forensic disciplines, as certain practices and procedures may overlap, a fact easily understood in science. This new journal is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal related to the latest advances of Forensic Sciences, either in living beings or in the deceased. Thus, it will publish original articles, reviews, short communications, letters to the editor, case reports, technical notes, and commentaries, with no restriction on the length of the papers. Our main aim is to encourage scientists to dedicate their efforts to apply Forensic Sciences in the administration of justice. We will mainly discuss the principal/classical and also the emergent branches of Forensic Sciences that include: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, Computer Forensics, Criminology, Document Examination, Forensic Accounting (also known as Forensic Accountancy or Financial Forensics), Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Archaeology, Forensic Art, Forensic Astronomy, Forensic Ballistics, Forensic Biomechanics, Forensic Botany, Forensic Chemistry, Forensic Engineering, Forensic Entomology, Forensic Genetics, Forensic Geology, Forensic Geomorphology, Forensic Geophysics, Forensic Journalism, Forensic Linguistics, Forensic Lophoscopy, Forensic Medicine (that embraces all aspects of forensic work of a medical nature, including Forensic Pathology), Forensic Meteorology, Forensic Microbiology, Forensic Nursing, Forensic Odontology, Forensic Palynology, Forensic Photography, Forensic Psychiatry, Forensic Psychology, Forensic Radiology, Forensic Seismology, Forensic Social Work, Forensic Toxicology, Handwriting Analysis, Investigation in Forest Fires, and also Wildlife Forensic Science, among others. A particular interest will be devoted to pedagogical and educational innovation of the teaching curriculums of multiple forensic disciplines [5].
The Editorial Board of Forensic Sciences invites high-quality contributions in the field of Forensic Sciences and wishes all future contributors and readers all the best for this new scientific project.

Short Biography of Prof. Dr. Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira
Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira, PhD, European PhD, DSc, is a Forensic Sciences expert, namely in Toxicology and Forensic Medicine areas, and he contributes to scientific and academic activity in the areas of Toxicology and Pharmacology of Psychoactive Substances, Pesticides and Medicines in their preclinical, clinical and forensic aspects, and in Forensic Medicine, namely the development of mathematical models to calculate the postmortem interval, known as the Holy Grail of Forensic Sciences. He has supervised several Integrated Master's dissertations, Master's dissertations and Doctoral theses. He is a member of the Editorial Board and Ambassador of several International Scientific Journals. He is the author of more than 145 articles published (representing more than 4700 citations) in international journals, indexed by peer review, and author of about 35 book chapters, 4 books and 4 national and 3 international patents. He is the author of Guidelines in Forensic Sciences with an international scope, and has received recognition for his Pedagogical Excellence in Higher Education that resulted in international scientific publications. He is an Associate Professor with Aggregation at the University Institute of Health Sciences and of the Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto. He is an Integrated Researcher at UCIBIO-REQUIMTE-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit/ Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry, Clean Technologies and Processes and at the IINFACTS-Institute of Research and Advanced Training in Health Sciences and Technologies, where he has performed duties of Coordinator of the Forensic Sciences Research Line. He is the founder and current President of the Portuguese Association of Forensic Sciences (APCF) and was Vice-President of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Abuse and Neglect (SPECAN). The current h index is approximately 26, depending on the calculation platform.