MD · Forensic Medicine

Forensic Medicine thesis topics, with the design and feasibility for each

A forensic medicine thesis depends on material that belongs to an investigation rather than to the hospital, so permission is the first step: the authority that governs the mortuary must sanction the study in writing, alongside institutional ethics approval, and any additional sampling beyond the routine autopsy has to be justified specifically. The caseload of the centre decides everything else, since a district mortuary and a metropolitan one see entirely different patterns and volumes. Examiners press on whether you worked to a written proforma from the first case, on how cause of death was assigned, and on what you did about cases where the police papers and the autopsy findings did not agree.

Topic register · 47 entries · 6 designs^[6]

Read the register Forensic Medicine thesis help

NMC PGMER-2023
NBEMS 180 days / 26 months
UGC 2018 · under 10%
ICMR 2017 · ethics

The register

Filter, read, copy

The Forensic Medicine register

Authored by the practice · Not compiled from any list

Filter by design or by feasibility, or search the titles and outcomes. Filtering only hides entries: every topic stays on the page, so nothing is lost if you clear the filters or arrive by a deep link.

Search title and outcome

Study design

Feasibility in a teaching unit

Any47Straightforward20Moderate24Demanding3

Showing 47 of 47 topics

The sample figure on each plate is a planning range read off the design, not a calculated answer. Your own number comes from a calculation against your own assumptions — the difference you would call clinically meaningful, the variability in your setting, the power you want — and it belongs in the synopsis with those assumptions written beside it.

Topic 01 / 47
Link to this entry
Pattern of injuries in fatal road traffic collisions brought for medicolegal autopsy
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of injuries by body region and by road user category, with the anatomical cause of death assigned at autopsy
Collection time
12 to 15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 250 autopsies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Written permission from the authority governing the mortuary, alongside ethics approval
- A proforma used from the first case, recording road user category and vehicle type
- Access to the inquest papers for circumstantial details
What derails it
Road user category and helmet or seat belt use come from the police papers, which are often silent on both, so record the source of every such variable and count the unknowns rather than assigning a likely answer.
Topic 02 / 47
Link to this entry
Pattern of cranial and intracranial injuries in fatal head injury at autopsy
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of skull fracture types and intracranial haemorrhages, with the relation to the site of impact recorded
Collection time
12 to 15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 120 to 200 autopsies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval
- A standard cranial examination protocol, including the order of dura and brain examination
- Photographic documentation with a scale in each image
What derails it
Many of these deaths occur days after admission and surgery, so operated skulls cannot be described as the original fracture pattern; record the interval from injury and whether surgery was performed for every case.
Topic 03 / 47
Link to this entry
Autopsy findings in deaths due to hanging, with reference to ligature mark features and internal neck findings
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of ligature mark characteristics and the frequency of named internal neck findings
Collection time
12 to 15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 180 autopsies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission with ethics approval
- A layer-by-layer neck dissection protocol applied in every case
- A proforma recording ligature material, knot position and suspension details from the inquest
What derails it
Internal neck findings depend entirely on whether a bloodless layerwise dissection was done, and in a busy mortuary it often is not, so either you perform or witness every dissection or the case cannot enter the series.
Topic 04 / 47
Link to this entry
Pattern of burn injuries and the circumstances recorded in fatal burns brought for autopsy
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of total burn surface area, depth and the manner of death as recorded on the inquest papers
Collection time
12 to 15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 180 autopsies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval
- A body surface area charting method applied consistently, with the method stated
- Access to the inquest record and any dying declaration for circumstantial details
What derails it
These cases carry legal and family sensitivities and the manner of death is frequently disputed, so the protocol must state that you report what the record contains and do not adjudicate manner, and the dataset must never carry the deceased's identity.
Topic 05 / 47
Link to this entry
Profile of fatal poisoning cases brought for autopsy and the correlation with chemical analysis reports
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of the poison recorded in the history and the proportion confirmed on the chemical analysis report, with the autopsy findings in each group
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 180 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval
- A route for obtaining the chemical examiner's report, which returns months later
- A viscera preservation protocol applied identically in every case
What derails it
Chemical analysis reports from the state laboratory take many months and often arrive after your submission date, so build that delay into the timetable and state how cases with a pending report are handled.
Topic 06 / 47
Link to this entry
Autopsy findings in deaths due to drowning, with the histological examination of lung tissue
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Frequency of named external and internal findings and the histological features seen in lung sections
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 60 to 110 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval for tissue sampling at autopsy
- A histopathology collaboration for processing and reporting
- A water sample collection arrangement where the site of recovery is known
What derails it
Bodies recovered after days are decomposed and the lung findings are uninterpretable, so define a post-mortem interval limit for inclusion and record the interval for every case, since decomposed cases will otherwise dominate the series.
Topic 07 / 47
Link to this entry
Age estimation from radiographic ossification at the wrist and elbow in individuals referred for medicolegal age estimation
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Difference between the radiologically estimated age range and the documented age, with the proportion correctly placed relative to the legally relevant thresholds
Collection time
12 to 15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 120 to 200 individuals, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A documentary age source, such as a birth or school certificate, verified for every participant
- Radiography of the prescribed views, with a radiology collaboration
- Ethics approval and consent, with guardian consent for minors
What derails it
Age estimation is requested precisely because documents are disputed, so a study needs participants whose documented age is reliable, and you must state exactly which document you accepted and why.
Topic 08 / 47
Link to this entry
Age estimation from fusion of the sternal segments and the medial clavicular epiphysis on archived CT images
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Relation of the graded fusion stage to the documented age, with the age range corresponding to each stage
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 250 individuals, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Access to a chest CT archive with reliable recorded age
- Workstation reformatting to assess fusion stage
- A waiver of consent from the ethics committee and radiology departmental permission
What derails it
Recorded age in hospital records is often stated rather than documented, so restrict the archive to records with a verifiable date of birth and report how many studies you discarded for that reason.
Topic 09 / 47
Link to this entry
Age estimation from third molar development stages on dental radiographs
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Relation of the developmental stage by a named classification to documented age, with accuracy in placing individuals relative to the relevant legal threshold
Collection time
12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 250 individuals, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A dental collaboration for standardised radiographs, with the necessary radiation justification
- A verified documentary age source for every participant
- Two observers applying the staging classification independently
What derails it
Taking a radiograph purely for research is hard to justify, so build the study around radiographs taken for dental indications, and say clearly that no exposure was made for the study alone.
Topic 10 / 47
Link to this entry
Estimation of stature from measured long bone lengths at autopsy
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Regression equations relating long bone length to the cadaver length measured at autopsy, with the standard error of estimate
Collection time
15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 160 autopsies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission for the additional measurements
- An osteometric board or a calibrated measuring device used in the same way every time
- A written protocol for cadaver length measurement, stating posture and landmarks
What derails it
Cadaver length is not living stature and the difference is not constant, so state plainly which you measured and do not present equations derived from cadaver length as living stature formulae.
Topic 11 / 47
Link to this entry
Pattern of palatal rugae and their use for identification in young adults
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of rugae number, shape and pattern by a named classification, with the proportion of pairs distinguishable by the pattern
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 250 participants, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Dental impression material and a trained hand, usually through a dental collaboration
- A named classification applied by two observers
- Ethics approval and consent, with a statement on how casts are stored and destroyed
What derails it
Impressions with bubbles or distortion at the posterior rugae are unreadable and must be retaken, so allow for repeat impressions in your material estimate and record how many participants needed one.
Topic 12 / 47
Link to this entry
Lip print patterns in young adults and their distribution by sex
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of lip print pattern types in each quadrant by a named classification, by sex
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 200 to 350 participants, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Lipstick and cellophane tape or a comparable standard recording method
- A magnifying lens and a named classification with two observers
- Ethics approval and consent, including permission for photographic records
What derails it
Pattern reading differs between observers at the quadrant boundaries, so fix the quadrant definition and have a second observer classify every print, because a single-observer distribution will be challenged as unverifiable.
Topic 13 / 47
Link to this entry
Estimation of stature and sex from footprint measurements in young adults
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Regression equations relating footprint length and breadth to measured stature, with a discriminant rule for sex
Collection time
6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 200 to 350 participants, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- An inkless print pad or a standardised inking method and print sheets
- A stadiometer and a measuring protocol applied by one observer
- Ethics approval and consent from living participants
What derails it
Print dimensions change with how much weight is taken on the foot while printing, so fix whether prints are static or walking and keep it identical, because mixing the two adds error to every equation.
Topic 14 / 47
Link to this entry
Profile of unnatural deaths autopsied at a medical college mortuary over a defined period
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of deaths by manner, cause and demographic group, with the seasonal and time-of-year pattern
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 800 to 2000 autopsy records, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Permission from the mortuary authority and the head of department for record access
- A waiver of consent, with an anonymised extraction format
- Complete autopsy registers for the whole period chosen
What derails it
Registers for earlier years are frequently incomplete or water damaged, so inspect the physical registers for your chosen period before fixing the years, and report any year you had to exclude.
Topic 15 / 47
Link to this entry
Pattern of fatal poisoning over a defined period as recorded in autopsy and chemical analysis records
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of poison types by year, age group and sex, with the proportion confirmed on chemical analysis
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 400 to 1000 records, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Autopsy registers and the corresponding chemical examiner reports on file
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- An agreed coding scheme for poison categories before extraction
What derails it
Chemical analysis reports are filed separately and many are missing from the autopsy file, so record the proportion of cases with no report available as a finding rather than confining the analysis to those that have one.
Topic 16 / 47
Link to this entry
Completeness of medicolegal case documentation in the casualty medicolegal register
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Proportion of entries with each required field completed, by the category of medicolegal case
Collection time
3 to 5 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 500 to 1000 entries, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Permission from the medical superintendent for access to the casualty register
- A list of required fields drawn from the institutional or statutory format
- A waiver of consent and an anonymised extraction sheet
What derails it
Documentation quality varies by the duty doctor and by how busy the night was, so extract the shift and the day of week, because a headline completeness figure tells the administration nothing about where to intervene.
Topic 17 / 47
Link to this entry
Quality of injury description and opinion in medicolegal injury certificates issued by a casualty department
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Proportion of certificates describing each required injury attribute and carrying an opinion on the nature of injury in the statutory terms
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 300 to 600 certificates, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Carbon copies or records of issued certificates for the period
- A checklist of required attributes agreed with faculty before extraction
- Institutional permission and a waiver of consent
What derails it
Certificates naming the accused or the complainant are legal documents with identifiable parties, so the extraction sheet must record attributes only and never names, and the committee will check that safeguard.
Topic 18 / 47
Link to this entry
Documentation of medicolegal examination in alleged sexual assault as recorded in departmental records
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Proportion of examinations documenting each component of the prescribed protocol, including consent, history, examination and sample collection
Collection time
6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 250 records, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Permission from the head of department and the medical superintendent, since these records are restricted
- The prescribed national protocol as the audit standard
- An extraction method that records no identifying detail whatsoever
- A waiver of consent from the ethics committee, which must be granted rather than assumed for records of this kind
What derails it
These records are legally protected and survivor identity must never leave the file, so the protocol must state that extraction happens inside the department with no copying of documents, and expect the committee to examine this closely.
Topic 19 / 47
Link to this entry
Autopsy findings in sudden natural deaths brought for medicolegal examination
DesignProspective observationalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of the organ system responsible for death, with the specific anatomical findings in each
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 150 autopsies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval for histological sampling
- A histopathology collaboration for tissue examination
- A proforma recording the circumstances of collapse from the inquest papers
What derails it
In a proportion of these autopsies no cause is found even after histology, so decide in advance how an undetermined case is reported, because a series with no unexplained deaths suggests findings were stretched to fit.
Topic 20 / 47
Link to this entry
Histological changes in the myocardium and coronary arteries in sudden cardiac death at autopsy
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Frequency of named histological findings and the degree of coronary narrowing assessed by a stated method
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 50 to 100 hearts, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission for cardiac sampling beyond routine examination
- A histopathology collaboration with agreed sectioning and staining protocol
- A standard method for assessing coronary narrowing, recorded for every vessel
What derails it
Autolysis begins within hours and bodies often reach autopsy a day later, so record the post-mortem interval for every case and set a limit, because autolytic change is easily over-read as ischaemic injury.
Topic 21 / 47
Link to this entry
Frequency of hyoid and laryngeal cartilage injury in asphyxial deaths at autopsy
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Proportion with hyoid or laryngeal cartilage fracture by the type of asphyxial death and by age group
Collection time
15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 150 autopsies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval
- Removal and inspection of the larynx and hyoid as a standard step in every case
- A method for distinguishing incomplete ossification from fracture, with faculty verification
What derails it
An unossified greater horn in a young person is mistaken for a fracture far too easily, so a faculty member must verify every reported fracture and the ossification status has to be recorded separately.
Topic 22 / 47
Link to this entry
Autopsy findings and circumstances in deaths due to electrocution
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of entry and exit wound sites and the circumstances of exposure as recorded in the inquest papers
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 60 to 120 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Autopsy records covering enough years to accumulate the numbers
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- Photographic records in the file, if wound descriptions are to be verified
What derails it
Electrocution deaths are uncommon in a single year, so the record period must be long, and practice and documentation change across years, which you should acknowledge rather than pooling silently.
Topic 23 / 47
Link to this entry
Pattern of injuries in railway track fatalities brought for autopsy
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of injury patterns and the manner of death as recorded, by the site and circumstances of recovery
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 160 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Autopsy records from a centre serving a railway jurisdiction
- Mortuary authority and railway police co-operation for circumstantial records
- A waiver of consent with anonymised extraction
What derails it
Manner of death in these cases is frequently recorded as undetermined and the police papers may not be in the autopsy file, so state how you obtained circumstantial details and how many cases had none.
Topic 24 / 47
Link to this entry
Injury pattern in fatal falls from height and its relation to the height of fall recorded
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of skeletal and visceral injuries by the height recorded in the inquest papers
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 60 to 120 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Autopsy records with the inquest papers filed
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- A coding scheme for height categories fixed before extraction
What derails it
Height of fall is an estimate given by a witness and recorded in storeys rather than metres, so treat it as a category and state its source, because a correlation presented against a precise height implies a measurement nobody made.
Topic 25 / 47
Link to this entry
Blood alcohol findings in autopsy cases and their relation to the manner of death recorded
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of reported blood alcohol concentration by the manner of death and by age group
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 200 to 400 cases where the analysis was performed, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Chemical examiner reports filed with the autopsy records
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- A record of which cases had alcohol analysis requested and which did not
What derails it
Alcohol is requested selectively when the history suggests it, so the denominator is not all autopsies, and your figures describe tested cases only; state that restriction prominently in the objectives.
Topic 26 / 47
Link to this entry
Relation of recorded decomposition changes to the estimated post-mortem interval in autopsy cases with a known time of death
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of named decomposition changes by the documented interval between death and autopsy
Collection time
15 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 180 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval
- Cases where the time of death is documented, such as hospital deaths or witnessed deaths
- Recording of ambient temperature and whether the body was refrigerated, for every case
What derails it
Refrigeration at the mortuary halts the changes you are describing, so the hours spent in the cooler must be recorded separately from the total interval, or your relation will be flattened by storage.
Topic 27 / 47
Link to this entry
Profile of deaths of married women within seven years of marriage as recorded in autopsy and inquest documents
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution by cause of death, manner recorded and the authority conducting the inquest
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 200 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission, since these are magisterial inquest cases
- A waiver of consent with strictly anonymised extraction
- Inquest papers available in the autopsy file
What derails it
These cases are under active legal proceedings and identity or place details could prejudice them, so the dataset must exclude names and locations, and the thesis should report aggregate figures only.
Topic 28 / 47
Link to this entry
Profile of medicolegal autopsies in children and adolescents at a teaching hospital mortuary
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of cause and manner of death by age band and sex
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 350 records, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Complete autopsy registers covering several years, since paediatric cases are fewer
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- An agreed age banding fixed before extraction
What derails it
Suspected child abuse and unnatural paediatric deaths carry reporting duties under the law, so the protocol must state that you are reviewing completed records and not assuming any fresh reporting obligation, and faculty must confirm that reading.
Topic 29 / 47
Link to this entry
Knowledge of medicolegal duties and documentation among interns and junior residents
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Score on a pre-tested knowledge questionnaire covering consent, documentation, injury description and court procedure
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 300 participants, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A questionnaire reviewed by faculty and pre-tested on a small group
- Institutional permission, with anonymous and voluntary participation
- Consent taken by someone outside the participants' assessment chain
What derails it
Participants look up answers when the questionnaire is circulated electronically at leisure, so administer it in a supervised single sitting and state that you did, because an unsupervised knowledge score measures access to a phone.
Topic 30 / 47
Link to this entry
Effect of a structured workshop on medicolegal documentation skills among interns
DesignComparative interventionalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Change in score on a documentation exercise assessed against a rubric, before and after the workshop, compared with a group receiving routine teaching
Collection time
9 to 12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 40 to 70 per group, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Institutional and ethics approval for an educational intervention
- A rubric agreed with faculty and applied by an assessor blinded to group
- A guarantee that both groups receive the workshop by the end of the study
What derails it
Interns rotate monthly and the two groups will not be in the same posting at the same time, so the timing of the pre and post assessment relative to the posting must be identical for both, or posting experience will masquerade as the effect of the workshop.
Topic 31 / 47
Link to this entry
Documentation of informed consent in medicolegal examinations conducted in casualty
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Proportion of medicolegal examination records carrying documented consent with each required element
Collection time
3 to 5 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 300 to 600 records, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Institutional permission for access to casualty medicolegal records
- A checklist of required consent elements drawn from statute and institutional policy
- A waiver of consent with anonymised extraction
What derails it
Consent is usually taken verbally and recorded as a single word, so your audit will read as uniformly poor unless you define partial documentation levels in advance and report them separately.
Topic 32 / 47
Link to this entry
Frequency and distribution of identification marks recorded at autopsy
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Proportion of bodies with at least one identification mark, by type and anatomical site
Collection time
12 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 250 autopsies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval
- A proforma recording mark type, site and size, completed at the examination
- Photographic documentation with a scale where permitted
What derails it
Marks are easily missed on the posterior surface unless the body is turned, so the proforma must require a documented examination of the back in every case, and cases not turned should be recorded as such.
Topic 33 / 47
Link to this entry
Completeness of autopsy reports against a standard reporting checklist
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Proportion of reports documenting each item of the checklist, by the category of case
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 300 to 600 reports, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A checklist derived from a published or institutional standard, agreed with faculty
- Mortuary authority permission for record access and a waiver of consent
- Reports from a period long enough to include different examiners
What derails it
This audit names colleagues implicitly, so agree with the head of department in advance that reporting is aggregated and anonymised by examiner, or the study will become politically impossible halfway through.
Topic 34 / 47
Link to this entry
Practice of viscera preservation at autopsy and the outcome of chemical analysis requests
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Proportion of autopsies with viscera preserved, by indication, and the proportion with a chemical analysis report received and its result
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 300 to 600 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Autopsy registers recording preservation and dispatch
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- A record of reports received back from the chemical examiner
What derails it
Dispatch and receipt are recorded in separate registers that rarely reconcile, so you must match them case by case and report how many could not be matched, because this mismatch is itself the most useful finding.
Topic 35 / 47
Link to this entry
Distinguishing features recorded at autopsy in bodies recovered from water
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Frequency of named findings in bodies recovered from water, by the post-mortem interval band and the final opinion recorded
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 60 to 120 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval
- A proforma applied at every examination recording each feature as present, absent or not assessable
- Circumstantial details from the police papers on the site and time of recovery
What derails it
Features absent because of decomposition are different from features looked for and not found, so the proforma must distinguish not assessable from absent, because merging the two invents a negative finding.
Topic 36 / 47
Link to this entry
Pattern of injuries documented in examinations of alleged physical assault in casualty
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of injury type and site, and the proportion of certificates stating the nature of injury in statutory terms
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 250 to 500 records, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Institutional permission for access to medicolegal examination records
- An extraction sheet carrying injury attributes and no identifying information
- A waiver of consent from the ethics committee
What derails it
Records of alleged assault name parties to a criminal case, so the working dataset must be de-identified at the point of extraction and never copied out of the department, and the committee will require a written undertaking.
Topic 37 / 47
Link to this entry
Autopsy findings and circumstances in deaths attributed to snake bite
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of bite site, local findings and systemic findings, with the treatment received before death as recorded
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 50 to 120 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Autopsy records from a centre serving a rural catchment, covering several years
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- Hospital records where the patient was treated before death
What derails it
The bite mark is frequently not identifiable at autopsy and the diagnosis rests on the history, so record how the attribution was made in each case rather than presenting all of them as confirmed envenomation.
Topic 38 / 47
Link to this entry
Sex determination from skull measurements at autopsy in individuals of documented sex
DesignDiagnostic accuracyFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Accuracy of a measurement-based rule for assigning sex, against the documented sex of the deceased
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 140 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission for additional cranial measurement at autopsy
- A spreading calliper and a written landmark definition sheet
- A documented sex from the inquest papers for every case
What derails it
Measuring a skull properly at autopsy requires the cranium to be opened and cleaned, which goes beyond routine examination, so the additional procedure has to be specifically sanctioned and justified rather than assumed.
Topic 39 / 47
Link to this entry
Profile of fatal occupational injuries brought for medicolegal autopsy
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution by occupation, mechanism of injury and anatomical cause of death
Collection time
6 to 9 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 180 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Autopsy records across several years, since single-year numbers are small
- Inquest papers recording the circumstances and the workplace
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
What derails it
Occupation is recorded as a single word such as labourer, which tells you nothing about the mechanism, so define your occupational categories from what the records actually contain rather than from a standard classification you cannot apply.
Topic 40 / 47
Link to this entry
Relation of recorded burn surface area to the survival interval in fatal burns
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Relation of documented total burn surface area to the interval between injury and death
Collection time
6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 200 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Autopsy records with the burns unit case file or the referral documents
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- Both the surface area estimate and the date of injury available per case
What derails it
Surface area is estimated differently in casualty, on the burns ward and at autopsy, and the three figures rarely agree, so choose one source, state it, and record how often it was missing.
Topic 41 / 47
Link to this entry
Preparedness for mass fatality management among doctors and mortuary staff at a teaching hospital
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Score on a pre-tested preparedness and knowledge questionnaire, by staff category
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 200 participants, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- A questionnaire pre-tested and reviewed by faculty
- Institutional permission and voluntary anonymous participation
- The institutional disaster plan, if one exists, as the reference for the items
What derails it
Mortuary staff often have limited literacy in the questionnaire language, so the instrument must be administered as a structured interview for that group and the mode of administration recorded for every participant.
Topic 42 / 47
Link to this entry
Agreement between the manner of death suggested in the inquest papers and the opinion recorded after autopsy
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Proportion of cases where the autopsy opinion differed from the manner suggested in the inquest papers, by case category
Collection time
6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 200 to 400 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Autopsy records with the inquest papers filed together
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- An agreed coding of manner categories fixed before extraction
What derails it
Autopsy opinions are often reserved pending chemical analysis, so the final opinion may not be in the file at all, and those cases must be counted as pending rather than as agreement.
Topic 43 / 47
Link to this entry
Profile of autopsies conducted under magisterial inquest at a teaching hospital mortuary
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Distribution of case categories requiring magisterial inquest, with the documented cause of death in each
Collection time
6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 100 to 250 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission specifically covering inquest-category cases
- A waiver of consent with an extraction sheet carrying no identifiers or locations
- Faculty supervision, since these cases are legally sensitive
What derails it
These cases attract scrutiny from outside the hospital, so the head of department must approve both the protocol and the final text, and nothing in the thesis should identify an individual case or institution other than your own in aggregate.
Topic 44 / 47
Link to this entry
Contribution of histopathological examination to the final cause of death opinion in medicolegal autopsies
DesignCross-sectionalFeasibilityDemanding
Primary outcome
Proportion of cases in which histopathology confirmed, changed or added nothing to the provisional anatomical cause of death
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 80 to 150 autopsies, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission for tissue retention and a histopathology collaboration
- A provisional opinion recorded and sealed before the histology report
- A standard sampling protocol stating which organs are sectioned in every case
What derails it
The provisional opinion must be written and sealed before the slides are seen, otherwise the comparison is retrospective reasoning, and the protocol should name who holds that sealed record.
Topic 45 / 47
Link to this entry
Pattern of methods recorded in suicidal deaths autopsied over a defined period
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Distribution of method by age group, sex and season, as recorded in autopsy and inquest documents
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 300 to 700 records, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Complete autopsy registers with the manner of death recorded
- Mortuary authority permission and a waiver of consent
- An anonymised extraction format with no place or family detail
What derails it
Reporting on suicide carries a duty of care in how it is written, so the thesis must avoid detailed method description that could serve as instruction, and the discussion should keep to aggregate patterns.
Topic 46 / 47
Link to this entry
Head injury severity in fatal two-wheeler collisions by recorded helmet use: a case-control comparison
DesignCase-controlFeasibilityModerate
Primary outcome
Difference in the frequency of severe cranial and intracranial injury between those recorded as helmeted and unhelmeted
Collection time
15 to 18 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 60 to 100 per group, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- Mortuary authority permission and ethics approval
- A proforma capturing helmet use from the police papers and from accompanying relatives
- A standard cranial examination protocol applied in every case
What derails it
Helmet use is recorded inconsistently and relatives may state it to avoid blame or penalty, so record the source of the information for each case and analyse cases with unverified helmet status separately.
Topic 47 / 47
Link to this entry
Adequacy of photographic documentation of injuries in medicolegal autopsies against a defined standard
DesignRetrospectiveFeasibilityStraightforward
Primary outcome
Proportion of cases with photographs meeting each criterion of the standard, including scale, orientation and identification
Collection time
4 to 6 months
Sample, as a planning figure
roughly 150 to 350 cases, subject to a proper calculation
What your unit must already have
- An archive of autopsy photographs retained by the department
- A written photographic standard agreed with faculty before assessment
- Mortuary authority permission, with viewing inside the department only
- A waiver of consent from the ethics committee for review of archived photographic records
What derails it
Autopsy photographs are held for court use and cannot leave the department, so assessment must be done on site with only the scoring sheet retained, and the protocol must state that explicitly.

The designs

What each design commits you to

The designs in this Forensic Medicine register

The design is not a label on the title; it decides your ethics route, your timetable and the test that answers your primary question. Only the designs that appear above are explained here.

Cross-sectional
11 topics
One contact per participant. Usually the quickest to complete, and the design most often chosen when time is short.
Prospective observational
7 topics
Participants are followed after enrolment without allocating an intervention. Ethics approval must precede the first enrolment.
Retrospective
22 topics
Existing records only. Faster, but limited by what was recorded, and a waiver of consent is normally sought from the ethics committee.
Comparative interventional
1 topic
Two or more arms compared. Ethics scrutiny is heavier, and the protocol must state how allocation is handled.
Diagnostic accuracy
5 topics
An index test measured against a reference standard. The sample size depends on the expected sensitivity or specificity and the prevalence in your setting.
Case-control
1 topic
Cases and controls compared for prior exposure. Control selection is where these are most often criticised.

What the feasibility mark means

A judgement about a typical teaching unit, not about yours. Confirm the volume, the equipment and the co-operation a topic needs before your synopsis goes in, because after that the timetable stops being negotiable^[2].

Straightforward
20 topics
Achievable in most teaching units with routine caseload and no equipment beyond what is already in use.
Moderate
24 topics
Achievable, but needs either a specific piece of equipment, a collaborating department, or a caseload you should confirm before committing.
Demanding
3 topics
Only take this on if your unit already has the volume, the equipment and the co-operation it needs. Confirm all three before your synopsis goes in.

Next steps

Before you commit to one

What to do with a topic you like

Three steps, in this order. None of them is us: the first is arithmetic, the second is your guide, the third is a search only you can run.

Do the arithmetic
The figure on each plate is a planning range, not an answer. Put your own assumptions — the difference you would call clinically meaningful, the variability you expect, the power you want — into the free sample size calculator, then divide the result by the eligible patients your unit sees in a month and see whether the months you have left permit it.
Take it to your guide
Nothing on this page is approved by anybody. Your guide and your department decide what is feasible in your unit, and your ethics committee decides whether it may start — before the first participant, not before the analysis^[5]. Where your university ordinance is stricter than anything here, the ordinance wins^[1].
Run the search yourself
We make no claim that any question here is novel, under-studied or a gap, because that depends on a literature search run today in your own field. Read what the search returns before you write the introduction, and be ready to say why the question is worth asking in your setting.

What a thesis in this field has to satisfy — the obligations, the statistics and the questions residents ask first — is set out on the Forensic Medicine page. Other specialties are in the topic bank index, and the method is worked through in the guides.

Undertakings

Mechanisms, not promises

What protects your draft, and who owns the work

Each line below is a mechanism this platform implements or a published instrument it is built around. None of them is a guarantee, and we are affiliated with no regulator or university.

Protection of your work

Row-level security
Every table enforces row-level access. You read your own record, and nothing else.
View-only streaming
Drafts are streamed to you through an authenticated route, not handed over as a file.
Watermarked to you
Every page you read carries your own name and email across it.
Download gated
The final file unlocks when the fee is settled in full, and not before.
Mumbai region · DPDP 2023
Your record and your documents are held in the Mumbai region, so India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 applies to them.
Anonymised data only
We accept no patient identifiers. An NDA is available on request.

How this works

Instruments we work to

NMC PGMER-2023
The thesis obligations set out in the postgraduate medical education regulations.
NBEMS
DNB and DrNB protocol and thesis timelines, and the page limit, as published.
UGC 2018 · <10%
The academic integrity convention we work to on every draft.
ICMJE · Vancouver
Authorship criteria and reference style, applied as published.
No affiliation
We work to these published instruments. We are affiliated to none of the bodies that issue them.

How this works

Authorship and the uniqueness check

Sole author
Mentoring, editing, statistics and compliance. You remain the sole author of your thesis.
Not ghostwriting
We will not write your thesis for you, and we will not be named in it.
MDSoftune
Word-level uniqueness checking, built with REDENN Informatics Inc., Canada.
Every version
Each draft is checked word by word before your university sees it.

How this works

MDThesis is an independent academic mentorship practice. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for the NMC, NBEMS, UGC or any university.

Free feasibility call

Tell us where your thesis stands. A senior doctor will tell you what to do next.

A senior doctor replies within one working day. No obligation. MD, MS, DNB, DrNB, DM, MCh, MDS and international programmes.

Request for a feasibility call

No obligation

Reply within one working day · No obligation · Your details are not shared

Prefer to write to us first? Contact the practice. We mentor and edit; you remain the sole author of your thesis.

References

[1]
Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023, National Medical Commission. In force 1 January 2024. Thesis requirements at Regulation 5.2. nmc.org.in
[2]
DNB and DrNB thesis guidelines, National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences. Protocol within 180 days of joining for three-year courses and 90 days for the two-year post-diploma DNB; research study complete by 24 months; thesis by 26 months; 80-page limit inclusive of certificates and annexures. natboard.edu.in
[5]
National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants, 2017, Indian Council of Medical Research. Ethics approval precedes data collection. icmr.gov.in
[6]
Counts of specialties, tracked stages, supported currencies and supported countries are structural facts of this platform, read from its own configuration rather than from a claim.

Document: Topic bank — Forensic Medicine · Revision 1 · Last reviewed 10 SEPT 2026

Issued by MDThesis, a brand of REDENN Informatics Private Limited

Forensic Medicine thesis topics, with the design and feasibility for eachForensic Medicine thesis topics, with the design and feasibility for each

Pattern of injuries in fatal road traffic collisions brought for medicolegal autopsy

Pattern of cranial and intracranial injuries in fatal head injury at autopsy

Autopsy findings in deaths due to hanging, with reference to ligature mark features and internal neck findings

Pattern of burn injuries and the circumstances recorded in fatal burns brought for autopsy

Profile of fatal poisoning cases brought for autopsy and the correlation with chemical analysis reports

Autopsy findings in deaths due to drowning, with the histological examination of lung tissue

Age estimation from radiographic ossification at the wrist and elbow in individuals referred for medicolegal age estimation

Age estimation from fusion of the sternal segments and the medial clavicular epiphysis on archived CT images

Age estimation from third molar development stages on dental radiographs

Estimation of stature from measured long bone lengths at autopsy

Pattern of palatal rugae and their use for identification in young adults

Lip print patterns in young adults and their distribution by sex

Estimation of stature and sex from footprint measurements in young adults

Profile of unnatural deaths autopsied at a medical college mortuary over a defined period

Pattern of fatal poisoning over a defined period as recorded in autopsy and chemical analysis records

Completeness of medicolegal case documentation in the casualty medicolegal register

Quality of injury description and opinion in medicolegal injury certificates issued by a casualty department

Documentation of medicolegal examination in alleged sexual assault as recorded in departmental records

Autopsy findings in sudden natural deaths brought for medicolegal examination

Histological changes in the myocardium and coronary arteries in sudden cardiac death at autopsy

Frequency of hyoid and laryngeal cartilage injury in asphyxial deaths at autopsy

Autopsy findings and circumstances in deaths due to electrocution

Pattern of injuries in railway track fatalities brought for autopsy

Injury pattern in fatal falls from height and its relation to the height of fall recorded

Blood alcohol findings in autopsy cases and their relation to the manner of death recorded

Relation of recorded decomposition changes to the estimated post-mortem interval in autopsy cases with a known time of death

Profile of deaths of married women within seven years of marriage as recorded in autopsy and inquest documents

Profile of medicolegal autopsies in children and adolescents at a teaching hospital mortuary

Knowledge of medicolegal duties and documentation among interns and junior residents

Effect of a structured workshop on medicolegal documentation skills among interns

Documentation of informed consent in medicolegal examinations conducted in casualty

Frequency and distribution of identification marks recorded at autopsy

Completeness of autopsy reports against a standard reporting checklist

Practice of viscera preservation at autopsy and the outcome of chemical analysis requests

Distinguishing features recorded at autopsy in bodies recovered from water

Pattern of injuries documented in examinations of alleged physical assault in casualty

Autopsy findings and circumstances in deaths attributed to snake bite

Sex determination from skull measurements at autopsy in individuals of documented sex

Profile of fatal occupational injuries brought for medicolegal autopsy

Relation of recorded burn surface area to the survival interval in fatal burns

Preparedness for mass fatality management among doctors and mortuary staff at a teaching hospital

Agreement between the manner of death suggested in the inquest papers and the opinion recorded after autopsy

Profile of autopsies conducted under magisterial inquest at a teaching hospital mortuary

Contribution of histopathological examination to the final cause of death opinion in medicolegal autopsies

Pattern of methods recorded in suicidal deaths autopsied over a defined period

Head injury severity in fatal two-wheeler collisions by recorded helmet use: a case-control comparison

Adequacy of photographic documentation of injuries in medicolegal autopsies against a defined standard

What the feasibility mark means

Tell us where your thesis stands. A senior doctor will tell you what to do next.

Forensic Medicine thesis topics, with the design and feasibility for each