Students who are completing the MA degree in anthropology with an option in forensic anthropology are assumed to have taken Principles of Forensic Anthropology, Osteology, and Advanced Forensic Anthropology, and have the texts required for these three classes. These three texts are:

Burns, Karen Ramey, 1999. Forensic Anthropology Training Manual.
     Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

White, Tim D and Folkens, Pieter Arend, 2000. Human Osteology. 2^nd Edition.
     San Diego: Academic Press.

Bass, William M., 1987. Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual.
     3^rd Edition (or higher). Columbia: Missouri Archaeological Society.

You should also have a copy of the laboratory manual from Osteology or Advanced Forensic Anthropology. The lab manual may be cited as:

Skelton, Randall R., 2002 (or whatever date it says on the cover). Osteology
     Laboratory Manual. Unpublished Laboratory Manual for ANTH 463 at
     The University of Montana -- Missoula.

You should consider Bass (1987) to be your primary source for methods to apply to your case. The methods covered in the 3^rd edition of Bass are listed below and later editions will have others in addition to these.

1. Methods for Estimating Age
1. Age from epiphysis closure
2. Age from vertebral osteophytosis
3. Age from bone development for most bones of the body
4. Age from medial clavicle epiphysis
5. Age from sternal rib ends
6. Age from pubic symphysis (Todd, McKern & Stewart, Gilbert & McKern, Katz & Suchey)
7. Age from long bone length
8. Age from dental attrition (Brothwell's method)
9. Age from dental development and eruption
2. Methods for Estimating Sex
1. Sex from measurement of sacrum, sternum, scapula, clavicle, humerus, coxal, femur, tibia,
2. Sex from the skull
3. Sex from the shape of the sacrum
4. Sex from the shape of the sternum
5. Sex from the shape of the scapula
6. Sex from the shape of the pelvis and coxal bone
3. Methods for Estimating Ancestry
1. Race from the skull
2. Giles and Elliot discriminant functions method
3. Gill's interorbital features method
4. Race from the sacrum
5. Race from the scapula
6. Race from the femur
7. Race from teeth
4. Methods for Estimating Stature
1. Trotter and Gleser method
2. Genovés Method

In addition, a few methods are presented in White & Folkens (2000) that are not covered in Bass (1987). These include:

1. Methods for Estimating Age
1. Age from dental attrition (Lovejoy's Method)
2. Age from cranial suture closure (suture site method)
3. Age from long bone length
4. Age from epiphyseal closure
5. Age from auricular surface
6. Multifactorial age estimation
2. Methods for Estimating Sex
1. Sex from the pelvis & coxal bone (Phenice's method)

Burns (1999) presents a few additional methods not covered in Bass (1987) or White and Folkens (2000)

1. Methods for Estimating Age
1. Age from the medial clavicle (better presentation than Bass)
2. Age from osteoarthritis of the lower back
3. Age from degenerative changes in adult teeth
2. Methods for Estimating Ancestry
1. Race using FORDISC
3. Methods for estimating handedness
1. Handedness from asymmetry
2. Stewart's method

There are a few methods presented in the lab manual that are important and not covered in any of the three texts. These include:

1. Methods for Estimating Age
1. Age from cranial fontanelle closure
2. Age from cranial suture closure (Baker's method)
3. Age from dental calcification
4. Age from dental attrition (Skelton's method, Tromly's method)
5. Age from the pubic symphysis (Meindl's method)
6. Age from long bone length (Workshop of European Anthropologists method)
2. Methods for Estimating Sex
1. Sex from coxal shape in children
3. Methods for Estimating Ancestry
1. Race from palate shape, palatine suture, and zygomaticofacial suture (Gill's method)
4. Methods for Estimating Stature
1. Fetal stature (Stewart's Method)
2. Subadult stature (El-Najjar & McWilliams method)
5. Methods for Estimating Weight
1. Weight estimation using the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company charts

Several other texts exist in the Physical Anthropology Laboratory from which you may draw additional methods. You are also free (perhaps expected) to cull the literature for additional methods depending on the nature of your case.

Your professional paper committee will expect you to apply all of these methods to your case or explain why you can't apply a certain method. Explanations for why you are not applying a certain method could include missing or damaged features; the method being inapplicable to a person of the age, sex, or race of your case; necessary instruments being unavailable; or similar factors beyond your control.