TABLE OF CONTENTS This section is about what type of test is appropriate to determine the amount of x in y (e.g. lead in water). Also dealt with is the question of why some types of tests are called methods, whereas others are called procedures, techniques, etc.
The names given to various types of analytical tests, developed over the years, are not used consistently and can cause much misunderstanding among analysts. This confusion has been reduced through the work of standardisation authorities that have tightened up on the use of terms and their meaning.
Terms associated with tests include:
Analytical technique
End determination
Measurement procedure
Method
National standards body
Primary method
Procedure
Protocol
Reference method
Regulatory method
Standard method
Standard operating procedure
Validated method
When asked to determine the amount of a substance in a matrix, an analyst will use knowledge and experience to select an appropriate method to perform the analysis. This leads to a simple but effective way of defining a method. The method is the whole process involved in analysing a sample.
Alternatively a method may be defined as: a defined application of a particular technique or techniques to obtain an analytical result . The approved definition for a method of measurement is, "A logical sequence of operations, described generically, used in the performance of measurements". [5] The method will encompass a range of procedures or steps such as sample preparation, sample extraction and measurement technique. Also it may be appropriate to have a procedure...
