Abedi, M.Bonsu, D.O.M.Badu, I.K.Afoakwah, R.Ahuja, P.2022-06-152022-06-152021Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2021; 11(1):34-1-34-82090-536X2090-5939https://hdl.handle.net/2440/135432Published online: 16 November 2021Background: The determination of the shooting distance using gunshot residue (GSR) analysis is crucial in the investigation and reconstruction of firearm-related crimes. However, the conventional chemographic method for GSR analysis is destructive and has limited sensitivity and selectivity. While the spectroscopic method has potential in GSR analysis for crime investigation, there is a current lack of consistency in the spectroscopic results obtained for shooting distance estimation via GSR analysis. Addressing such limitations will enhance the forensic capabilities of law enforcement and provide an added advantage to crime laboratories during an investigation. It will also reinforce the use of such spectroscopic data in a criminal investigation. Main text: We obtained all peer-reviewed articles relevant to shooting distance estimation from searching Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. We specifically searched the databases using the keywords “shooting distance,” “range of fire,” “gunshot residue,” “firearm discharge residue,” and “firearm-related crime” and obtained 3811 records. We further filtered these records using a combination of two basic keywords “gunshot residue” and “shooting distance estimations” yielding 108 papers. Following a careful evaluation of the titles, abstracts, and full texts, 40 original peer-reviewed articles on shooting distance estimation via GSR analysis were included in the study. The forgoing included additional sources (n = 5) we obtained from looking through the reference lists of the forensic articles we found. Short conclusion: This paper discusses the current scope of research concerning the chemographic and spectroscopic analysis of GSR for shooting distance estimation. It also examines the challenges of these techniques and provides recommendations for future research.en© The Author(s) 2021. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http:// creat iveco mmons. org/ licen ses/ by/4. 0/.Forensic ballistics; Forensic science; Gunshot residue; Firearm discharge residue; Shooting distance estimation; Range of fireJournal article10.1186/s41935-021-00253-32021-11-16594076Bonsu, D.O.M. [0000-0002-4671-0521]