Mapping Forensic Anthropology Research

Biological profile methods—or skeletal analytical methods meant to estimate age, population affinity, sex, and/or stature—are pivotal to the role forensic anthropologists play in helping to identify unknown decedents. These methods are often created by using samples from documented human skeletal collections, where the demographic information of each individual in a collection is known. However, it is not currently clear the extent at which United States-based collections are used in our methods. How many of our methods are based on samples from these collections and how does that impact our work? 

Use this website to explore the sample sources of biological profile methods required by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA). Their requirement by the ABFA illustrates their importance to the discpline in the United States. 

On this website, you can geographically visualize sample sources by article or by research foci (age, population affinity, sex, or stature), or you can learn more about the featured collections. If you are interested in a particular article, DOIs for each article are provided. Reach out if you have any comments or questions!  

Research Articles

Explore sample sources for articles required by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology Exam.

Research Topics

Explore sample sources for different research foci in forensic anthropology literature.

Skeletal Collections

Learn more about the collections sourced by the articles listed on this exploratory website.