Selected Papers from the IUGS—Initiative on Forensic Geology Conference 2025

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is compiled in collaboration with the IUGS-IFG 2025 Conference, organized by the International Union of Geological Sciences Initiative on Forensic Geology (IUGS-IFG) and hosted in Rome, Italy, from 21 to 23 May 2025. We welcome submissions from conference participants, with the aim of publishing selected extended versions of the presented papers in this Special Issue of Forensic Sciences.

The conference celebrates the 15th Anniversary of IUGS-IFG and focuses on the integration of forensic geology and geoscientific analysis in criminal and environmental investigations. Presentations and discussions at the event will highlight advancements in forensic techniques and their applications to law enforcement, environmental crimes, and illegal mining activities.

The following areas will be covered:

• Forensic geology and its role in crime scene investigations.
• Geoscientific analysis for environmental and mining crimes.
• Soil analysis, including soil DNA and trace evidence.
• Search operations using geoscientific techniques.
• Fossils, minerals, and metals in forensic investigations.
• Collaboration between geoscientists and law enforcement.

We look forward to your contributions and participation in this Special Issue, which will serve as a platform to disseminate innovative research and best practices in forensic geology and related disciplines.

Dr. Pier Matteo Barone
Dr. Rosa Maria Di Maggio
Dr. Laurance Donnelly
Dr. Alastair Ruffell
Prof. Dr. Lorna Dawson
Prof. Dr. Duncan Pirrie
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 single-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.