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Welcome to our forensic text messaging study.


The Centre for Forensic Linguistics at Aston University combines leading-edge research and investigative forensic practice with postgraduate teaching and professional courses. Our research involves all aspects of forensic linguistics, including methods for identifying the writer of disputed forensic texts, such as incriminating text messages.

This study is a follow-up to a previous study carried out when Tim Grant worked at the University of Leicester. If you contributed to that study there is no reason why you should not also contribute to this one. All you need to do is fill in the simple form below which should not take you more than 10 minutes. Ten messages would be ideal but we'll be happy with fewer as well! The data collected here is part of a wider project but will be used in the Joseph Lister Award Lecture at the British Association Festival of Science.

Examples of criminal cases where members of the Centre for Forensic Linguistics have been involved in cases concerning text messaging forensics can be found here and here. Such work depends upon the fact that variation in text messaging styles exist across individuals and groups of individuals. This study examines this variation and establishes base rate information for certain features in texting language. To find out more about forensic linguistics, visit the webpage of the Centre for Forensic Linguistics.

After you have entered your messages, please click on the 'submit' button at the bottom of the page.


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Your message #1

What is the recipient's gender?


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Your message #3

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Your message #4

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Your message #5

What is the recipient's gender?


Your message #6

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Your message #7

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Your message #8

What is the recipient's gender?


Your message #9

What is the recipient's gender?


Your message #10

What is the recipient's gender?