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How Fingerprinting Works

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By: Stephanie Watson

Lots More Information

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Sources

American Psychological Association. "To Catch a Thief: The Psychology of Fingerprints." http://www.psychologymatters.org/galton.html.
Biometrics.gov. "Introduction to Biometrics." http://www.biometrics.gov/ReferenceRoom/Introduction.aspx.
Encyclopedia Britannica. "Fingerprinting." http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9034291.
Encyclopedia Britannica. "Police." http://search.eb.com/eb/article-260948.
FBI. "Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System." http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/iafis.htm
FBI. "Taking Legible Fingerprints." http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/takingfps.html
FBI. "What we Do." http://www.fbi.gov/kids/k5th/whatwedo2.htm
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. "Fingerprinting Identification." http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/SOD/ffingerprintid.htm
International Biometric Group. "Henry Classification System," 2003.
Iowa State University. "DNA Fingerprinting in Human Health and Society." http://www.biotech.iastate.edu/biotech_info_series/bio6.html.
Jackall, Robert. "Tales Told by Loops, Whorls, and Ridges." Science, September 7, 2001, Vol. 293, pgs. 1771-1772.
Komarinski, Peter. "Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems." Elsevier, Academic Press, 2004.
National Center for State Courts. "Fingerprint." http://ctl.ncsc.dni.us/biomet%20web/BMFingerprint.html.
National Center for State Courts. "Retinal Scan." http://ctl.ncsc.dni.us/biomet%20web/BMRetinal.html
National Institutes of Health. "Cases." http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/galleries/cases/vucetich.html.
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. "Fingerprint Classification Systems Compared." http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/ojis/history/ph_am_hn.htm.
Scanlon, Lisa. "Fingerprinting's Finger-Pointing Past." Technology Review, June 2003, Vol. 106, pg. 80.
The Boston Channel. "Criminals Cutting Off Fingerprints To Hide IDs." http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/15478914/detail.html

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Stephanie Watson "How Fingerprinting Works" 1 January 1970.
HowStuffWorks.com. <https://science.howstuffworks.com/fingerprinting.htm> 3 April 2025

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