Review: The research subject is the objective laws of reality studied within forensic graphology in general and criminalistic diagnostics of handwriting in particular. They include general and specific methodological regulations and peculiarities of studying handwriting. The research object is the current theoretical and methodological research in the field of criminalistic diagnostics of handwritten texts. The authors consider the evolution and the current state of criminalistic diagnostics of handwriting and the problems of forensic graphology in this field. The authors outline the budding directions of further development of diagnostic tasks. The research is based on the methods of dialectical and general scientific cognition and the historical and logical method. This approach allows considering the processes and phenomena of reality in their interconnection and helps to study the issue comprehensively. The article considers historical development and the current state of criminalistic diagnostics of handwriting. The authors focus on the analysis of approaches of the key scientists to studying handwriting for purposes of solving diagnostic tasks. The authors define the stages of development of the research in this field and the prevailing opinions, and formulate their own position. 
 

Keywords: writing research, unusual condition, crime, investigation, current state of handwriting, development of handwriting, handwriting, forensic diagnostics, forensic handwriting, forensic examination