Part of the front cover of the "Understanding Forensic DNA Analysis" science comic used in The Evidence Chamber. Credit: Mark Brown. Adapted from: Baxter, I., Ridgway, A., Doran, H., Nic Daeid, N., Briscoe, R., McAlister, J. and Barnard, D. (2025). Can science comics aid lay audiences' comprehension of forensic science? JCOM 24(01), A01. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.24010201
Imagine having absolutely no training or education in DNA analysis—except maybe what you’ve seen on unrealistic, incorrect television shows—but being expected to decide if a person should spend the rest of their life in jail based on DNA evidence an expert explains to you in 10 minutes or less.
That’s what jurors are asked to do in criminal trials worldwide—and it’s a big ask, sometimes a confusing one.
“The decisions being taken by members of juries are so vitally important and often they're shaped by their understanding of the forensic evidence that's being presented," said Andy Ridgway, Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at the University of the West of England, and one of the authors of a new study on the topic. “They often have little to no science background and frequently lack prior knowledge of the forensic techniques they are expected to assess in making their decision.”
In the hopes of improving the process for jurors, Ridgway and colleagues recently designed a study that explores, for the first time, the effectiveness of comics as a medium to aid the understanding of forensic science evidence using a fictional criminal trial experience.
The study results, published in the Journal of Science Communication, confirmed the effectiveness—participants who read the comics discussed the evidence in greater detail, showing increased confidence in their reasoning and conclusions.
Comics as communication
A total of 106 participants took part in the mock, virtual trial. They viewed video recordings of actors presenting DNA analysis evidence. Specifically, the “expert witness” spoke about how the defendant’s DNA was found on a light switch in the victim’s house.
The jurors discussed the evidence and indicated whether they believed the defendant was guilty or not guilty. At this point, many jurors were left with unanswered questions—the most frequent of which pertained to the possibility of DNA transfer. Multiple jurors expressed the fact that they did not know if DNA was transferrable or not.
After each juror gave a verdict, they were then given access to comics explaining forensic DNA analysis. Discussions after reading the comics were different than those that took place previously. Participants went from questioning the possibility and likelihood of DNA transfer to understanding that it was possible and quite likely under some circumstances.
“The information about DNA transfer in the comic enabled participants to consider different theories about how the DNA from the suspect could have been transferred to the victim’s house,” reads the study results. “After reading the DNA comic, participants started to think about different theories about where and when DNA could have been transferred, specifically referencing the science comics. None of these theories came up in discussions prior to reading the comics as participants did not know that DNA transfer was possible as the expert witness did not explain it clearly enough.”
The study showed that the control groups that received only the oral explanation had more misinterpretations of the evidence, with misunderstandings related to the meaning of probability and margins of error, whereas the comics helped clarify these concepts. Additionally, discussions in the groups with comics were more balanced and participatory, with greater interaction among jurors.
The Evidence Chamber
This study was performed as part of The Evidence Chamber project, which combines entertainment and public engagement in science with research into the effectiveness of science communication in a fictitious courtroom designed to be as realistic as possible within the constraints of time and technology.
The Evidence Chamber was developed in 2019 by the Leverhulme Research Center for Forensic Science at the University of Dundee (Scotland) in collaboration with Fast Familiar, a collective of digital artists specializing in interactive experiences.