Specifications include, but are not limited to: 1. Data Collection: Salary information from a variety of sources, including public records, job postings, national industry surveys, local cost of living, and interviews or documented conversations with current forensic scientists, previous employees and relevant stakeholders. The confidentiality and anonymity of the participants will be maintained and compliance with all ethical guidelines and legal requirements. Information collected will adhere to the Safe Harbor Guidelines of the Statements of Antitrust Enforcement Policy. These guidelines dictate that: i. A survey must be conducted/managed by a third party. ii. Data provided by survey participants must be older than three months. iii. At least five organizations must report data for each disseminated statistic. iv. No single data source will represent more than 25% of the weighted basis of the statistic. 2. Data Analysis: The collected data will be analyzed using statistical techniques and qualitative content analysis. Factors such as educational qualifications, years of experience, job responsibilities both in and out of the laboratory, public scrutiny and error management, exposure to traumatic information, geographical location, and sector (public/private) should be considered to identify patterns and trends in forensic scientists' compensation. 3. Comparative Analysis: Salaries for forensic scientists at the SCDL will be compared with national averages of the comparable benchmark classes. The salary data will be adjusted to the State of Alaska cost of living. 4. Recommendations: Based on the findings, a set of recommendations to address any existing disparities or gaps in salary structures for forensic scientists at the SCDL will be presented. These recommendations should be practical, feasible, and supported by empirical evidence, enabling employers and policymakers to make informed decisions.
