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SWGDAM Mission Statement

The Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods, better known by its acronym of SWGDAM, is a group of scientists representing Federal, State, and Local forensic DNA laboratories from across the United States. During meetings, SWGDAM and its constituent standing committees and other working groups discuss topics of interest to the forensic DNA community, develop guidance documents to enhance the delivery of forensic biology services, and propose changes to the Quality Assurance Standards (QAS) for consideration by the FBI Director.

About SWGDAM

SWGDAM is composed of dedicated forensic scientists from international, federal, state and local forensic DNA laboratories as well as Invited Guests representing academia and other federal agencies. Members are scientists who serve as DNA technical leaders or Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) Administrators for their laboratories and who are recognized as leaders in the area of forensic human DNA identification. Invited Guests are recognized forensic DNA experts drawn from academia, other non-law enforcement federal laboratories, and international agencies who provide their specific expertise in areas that include research, lineage marker testing, population genetics, statistics, and probabilistic genotyping.

The responsibilities of SWGDAM are to: (1) recommend revisions to the Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories and the Quality Assurance Standards for DNA Databasing Laboratories colloquially referred to as the QAS; (2) serve as a forum to discuss, share, and evaluate forensic biology methods, protocols, training, and research to enhance the delivery of forensic biology services; and (3) to recommend and conduct research to develop and/or validate forensic biology methods.

SWGDAM holds regularly scheduled meetings in January and July and its committees and other working groups regularly meet virtually to conduct work on various taskings and work products.

Updates

New PGS Interpretation Guideline Document Published!!! SWGDAM has published its new SWGDAM Guidelines for the use of Probabilistic Genotyping with Autosomal STR Typing Results that are now available on the Publication Page. This document contains guidelines for the use of probabilistic genotyping systems (PGS) to assist with the interpretation of electrophoresis-based short tandem repeat (STR) DNA typing results from evidentiary specimens. These guidelines are organized into core elements that should be addressed by a laboratory using a PGS and for the development of standard operating procedures (SOP) for probabilistic genotyping of autosomal STR DNA typing results. Please note that for information on the application of other methods of analysis and interpretation, including binary methods, continue to reference the SWGDAM Interpretation Guidelines for Autosomal STR Typing by Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories.

New LR Reporting Guideline Document Published!!! The new SWGDAM Guidelines for Reporting Likelihood Ratios and are now available on the Publication Page. These new guidelines replace the 2018 Recommendations of the SWGDAM ad hoc Working Group on Genotyping Results Reported as Likelihood Ratios and update and expand upon the original recommendations. The purpose of these guidelines is to promote consistency among laboratories when reporting the results of direct comparisons of evidentiary and reference profiles and apply to LRs derived from probabilistic and binary interpretation approaches as well as kinship analyses.

The FBI Has Approved Changes to the QAS Effective July 1, 2025!!! The FBI has approved changes to the Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories and Quality Assurance Standards for DNA Databasing Laboratories. These changes will take effect on July 1, 2025. To assist laboratories in their preparations for the issuance of the new 2025 QAS, links are provided here for pre-issuance copies as well as to comparison tables prepared by SWGDAM during its revision work 2020 Forensic QAS vs 2025 Forensic QAS and 2020 Databasing QAS vs 2025 Databasing QAS.

SWGDAM has aligned the QAS Guidance Document with the new 2025 QAS!!! SWGDAM has completed its revision of the new QAS Guidance Document to align it with the requirements of the new 2025 Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories (Forensic QAS) and Quality Assurance Standards for Databasing Laboratories (Databasing QAS) that will take effect on July 1, 2025. Please use this link for a pre-issuance copy of the new QAS Guidance Document that will also take effect on July 1, 2025, to assist laboratories in their preparations for the issuance of the new 2025 QAS in July 2025.

New Interim Document Available!!! Please use the link provided for a pre-issuance draft of SWGDAM’s new Validation Guidelines for the Use of an Expert System with Forensic Samples which are being made available early to assist laboratories in their planning for potentially using such systems after the issuance of the new Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories (QAS) on July 1, 2025.

New SWGDAM Standing Committee!!! SWGDAM has empaneled a new Investigation Genetic Genealogy Committee to provide relevant information on various investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) topics to include technical, quality assurance, and data privacy considerations to the forensic science and law enforcement communities. The SWGDAM IGG Committee will build on the work of its previous Committee of Correspondence on IGG which included publication of SWGDAM's Overview of Investigative Genetic Genealogy in February 2020.