Guide to Quality in Analytical Chemistry - 3rd edition (2016)

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Last Updated: Tuesday, 23 May 2023 15:59

Content

The aim of this guide is to provide laboratories with guidance on best practice for the analytical operations they carry out. The guidance covers both qualitative and quantitative analysis carried out on a routine or non-routine basis. A separate guide covers research and development work (Quality Assurance for Research and Development and Non-routine Analysis,1998 ).

This third edition is a revision of the CITAC/Eurachem Guide published in 2002. The 2002 edition was developed from CITAC Guide 1 (which in turn was based on the Eurachem/WELAC Guide). The third edition reflects changes that were introduced with the publication of the 2005 version of ISO/IEC 17025. The terminology has also been updated to take account of ISO/IEC 17000:2004, ISO 9000:2015 and the 3rd edition of the International Vocabulary of Metrology – Basic and general concepts and associated terms (JCGM 200:2012 – VIM).

The Guide focuses on the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025, however the content should also be of use to organisations seeking accreditation or certification against the requirements of standards such as ISO 15189 or ISO 9001, or compliance with the Principles of Good Laboratory Practice

Availability

You may download the guide from this website at no cost (pdf, 960 kB).

Translations

Versions are currently available in

• English (first published on this site Jan 2017) [PDF, 960 kB]
• Czech (first published on this site Dec 2017) [PDF, 750 kB]
• Farsi (first published on this site April 2018) [PDF, 750 kB]

Translation into other languages is permitted for members of Eurachem. Other offers of translation should be directed to the Eurachem Secretariat for permission. The Eurachem policy on maintenance and development of Eurachem guidance, available on the Policies page, gives further information on translation.

Publication date

This third edition was approved for publication in December 2016 and first published on this website on 25 January 2017.

Citation

This publication should be cited* as:

“V. Barwick (Ed), Eurachem/CITAC Guide: Guide to Quality in Analytical Chemistry: An Aid to Accreditation (3rd ed. 2016). ISBN 978-0-948926-32-7. Available from www.eurachem.org.”

*Subject to journal requirements

Quality Assurance for Research and Development and Non-routine Analysis (1998)

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Last Updated: Monday, 22 November 2021 23:54

Contents

This guide, produced by a joint Eurachem/CITAC working party representing industrial, academic, and governmental interests, promotes and describes the concepts of quality assurance in the non-routine environment. The guide promotes a nested approach to quality assurance, dealing with it at a general organisational level, a technical level and a project specific level. It is intended to promote the use of QA as an effective tool for establishing and maintaining quality in R&D and non-routine operations. It does not seek to set criteria for accreditation of R&D although there is a section describing various methods for third party assessment of quality systems. The guidance may form the basis on which accreditation criteria can be set in the future. The guidance is intended to complement the existing CITAC guide (CG1) which describes QA in the routine environment. It is primarily directed towards analytical chemistry establishments but is, in principle, applicable to other sectors. An extensive bibliography is included.

Availability

The English language version (edition 1.0 1998) is available from the UK National Measurement System Chemical and Biological Metrology programme.

Download the guide from this website (new window) (pdf, 203 kB).

Translations

A German language version can be downloaded from the Eurachem/DE website documents page. (Opens new Browser window).

Translation into other languages is permitted for members of Eurachem. Other offers of translation should be directed to the Eurachem Secretariat for permission. The Eurachem policy on maintenance and development of Eurachem guidance, available on the Policies page, gives further information on translation.

Accreditation for Microbiological Laboratories (2023)

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Last Updated: Tuesday, 23 May 2023 20:11

Contents

This Eurachem Guide has been produced by an ad hoc Eurachem Working Group. This third edition of Accreditation for Microbiological Laboratories is a revision of the second edition published in 2013. The first edition from 2002 was produced by a joint EA/Eurachem Working Group.

The aim of this guide is to provide microbiological laboratories with guidance on how to fulfil the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. The content, however, should also be of use to organisations seeking accreditation or certification against the requirements of standards such as ISO 15189, GLP (Good Laboratory Practice), GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), and GCP (Good Clinical Practice)). Specific national regulations may override the guidance given in this document. The Guide will also provide useful information for laboratories that wish to establish a quality management system but are not seeking formal recognition.

The principal changes in the third edition are:

• update on recent trends in microbiology, e.g. PCR (polymerase chain reaction) techniques for the detection of microorganisms;
• addition of a list of abbreviations and symbols;
• addition of a section on risk-based thinking;
• updated sections on method verification and validation to reflect current ISO standards;
• references to the use of a decision rule;
• updated Annex A on terminology relevant to microbiology;
• new Annex C on reporting confidence intervals;
• new Annex D on estimation of uncertainty from sampling;
• the order of sections in adherence with ISO/IEC 17025:2017.

Availability

This third edition is currently available in English and can be downloaded at no cost from the link below:

Download the guide in English [pdf, 272 kB] (2023-05-23)⁺

⁺ Date of publication on this site

Translations

Translation into other languages is permitted for members of Eurachem. Other offers of translation should be directed to the Eurachem Secretariat for permission. The Eurachem policy on maintenance and development of Eurachem guidance, available on the Policies page, gives further information on translation.

Citation

This guidance should be cited* as:

“B Magnusson and K C Tsimillis (eds.) Accreditation for Microbiological Laboratories (3rd ed. 2023). ISBN 978-91-519-6581-9. Available from www.eurachem.org.”

*Subject to journal requirements

Previous versions

The second edition of this Guide can be found in the publication archive on this website.

Terminology in Analytical Measurement: Introduction to VIM 3

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Last Updated: Tuesday, 23 May 2023 20:07

Contents

This guide has been produced by members of the Eurachem Education and Training Working Group and others co-opted to the Project group for this task.

In the world of metrology – the science of measurement and its application – there is a language which has to be learned. The International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM) was produced to provide a common language, primarily for physical measurements. The VIM 3 is a consistent set of concepts each described by a unique term, the ‘label’ of the concept. VIM 3 is applicable across all scientific disciplines thus making it relevant to those involved in performing measurements in chemistry and biology. Consistent definitions of concepts with their associated terms and symbols are essential if analysts and customers across the globe are to understand each other.

This Eurachem Guide discusses a selection of the concepts in VIM 3, focusing on those most likely to be encountered in analytical laboratories. It aims to cover chemical, biological and clinical measurements and gives examples over and above those in the notes accompanying the definitions in VIM 3. The guide is intended for laboratory staff, accreditation bodies, for those commissioning measurements and for those using measurement results. Lecturers and trainers may also find this guide useful when teaching aspects of metrology.

In this second edition the scope and structure, and the terms and concepts discussed, remain unchanged from the first edition. However, all sections have been reviewed and, where necessary, the text has been revised to improve clarity and ensure consistency with current international guidance at the time of publication.

Availability

This second edition is currently available in English and can be downloaded at no cost from the link below:

• Second edition in English [pdf, 2.2 Mb] (2023-05-17)⁺

⁺ Date of publication on this site

Citation

This publication should be cited* as:

V. J. Barwick (Ed.), Eurachem Guide:Terminology in Analytical Measurement – Introduction to VIM 3 (2nd ed.
2023). ISBN 978-0-948926-40-2. Available from www.eurachem.org

*Subject to journal requirements.

Translations

Translation into other languages is permitted for members of Eurachem. Other offers of translation should be directed to the Eurachem Secretariat for permission. The Eurachem policy on maintenance and development of Eurachem guidance, available on the Policies page, gives further information on translation.

Previous editions

The First Edition in English is available, together with translations of the first edition in Farsi, German, Italian, and Ukrainian, in the publication archive on this website.