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Dermatoglyphics in Forensic Science: A Bibliometric Analysis from 1976 to 2025

lssue 2, Volume 3
Part of Special Issue Forensic Investigation and Autopsy
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Dermatoglyphics in Forensic Science: A Bibliometric Analysis from 1976 to 2025

Zhiqi Hua 1 Jiao Luo 1 Ji Chen 1 Qi Yang 1 Qi Wei 1 Sitong Liu 1 Jinxi Li 2 Chengtao Li 1,3 Ranran Zhang 1,3,* Suhua Zhang 1,3,*

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1
Institute of Forensic Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, and Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
3
School of Forensic Medicine and Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
*
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Received: 01 July 2026 Revised: 07 September 2026 Accepted: 11 September 2026 Published: 08 October 2026

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© 2026 The authors. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Perspect. Legal Forensic Sci. 2026, 3(2), 10010; DOI: 10.70322/plfs.2026.10010
ABSTRACT: Dermatoglyphics traits—including fingerprints, palmprints, and footprints—are highly specific biometric markers that serve as critical evidence for individual identification in criminal investigations. To map the intellectual trajectory of this field, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of 796 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection from 1976 to 2025. Since its emergence, research output has grown substantially. While India leads in total publications (207) and citations (3579)—largely driven by highly productive institutions such as Tumkur University and Jain University—the United States maintains the highest average citations per paper (36.8). Forensic Science International and the Journal of Forensic Sciences remain the core publishing venues. Notably, A. Jain’s 1997 work on automated fingerprint recognition remains the field’s most impactful publication, while N. Hanumanthappa has emerged as the most prolific and highly cited contemporary author. Keyword analysis reveals a distinct paradigm shift: early research focused on foundational identification principles, whereas recent hotspots center on dermatoglyphics feature extraction, algorithmic optimization, and the application of novel fluorescent nanomaterials for latent fingerprint visualization. This multidisciplinary evolution highlights an urgent paradigm shift: future advancements must bridge the translational gap between laboratory innovation and practical forensic demands by improving the transparency and judicial reliability of AI-assisted fingerprint analysis, establishing standardized evaluation systems for novel nanomaterials, and ensuring analytical compatibility with downstream genomic and multi-omics workflows.
Keywords: Forensic science; Dermatoglyphics; Fingerprint; Bibliometric; Research trend

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