Start with document identity
A certificate of analysis or analytical report should identify the submitted sample and the organization that issued the report. Before interpreting a numerical result, confirm that the document can be matched to the container and lot under review.
| Field | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Material identity | The report name, form, and stated strength correspond to the container label. |
| Lot or sample ID | A specific identifier connects the report to the received lot; a generic specification alone is not lot evidence. |
| Issuing laboratory | The laboratory is named and its report includes enough contact or report information for independent verification. |
| Dates | Collection, receipt, analysis, and report dates are present when applicable and internally consistent. |
| Methods | Each reported result identifies the analytical method or a referenced procedure. |
| Result and units | Values, units, qualifiers, detection limits, and pass/fail statements are read exactly as reported. |
Separate identity from purity
Different analytical methods answer different questions. Chromatographic results can describe relative peak area under stated conditions, while mass-spectrometric data can support molecular-mass identification. Neither field should be silently treated as proof of every property of the material.
- Review the complete result and method, not only a headline percentage.
- Confirm whether a value is measured, calculated, estimated, or a specification.
- Check whether the report includes chromatograms, spectra, or other supporting output when those records are relevant.
- Do not assume that one test covers contaminants, sterility, endotoxin, residual solvent, water content, or any other unreported attribute.
Check the chain of identifiers
- Record the product name, labeled strength, container code, and lot identifier at receipt.
- Open the report associated with that exact lot rather than a similarly named material.
- Compare identifiers character by character, including suffixes and strength designations.
- Record the report number and retrieval date in the laboratory's internal ledger.
- Quarantine discrepancies until the issuer or supplier provides a traceable resolution.
Questions for an incomplete report
If a field is missing or unclear, ask a precise documentation question: Which lot was sampled? Which method produced this value? What units and reporting limit apply? Is the shown document final? Can the issuing laboratory verify the report number? Keep the answer with the original record.