Glossary of Terms for Quality Assurance and Good Laboratory Practices
The field of quality assurance is beset by an extensive and sometimes confusing terminology, the use of which has still not been universally agreed on or accepted by
laboratories or interested professional bodies worldwide. Several organizations have standardized the use of certain terms in an attempt to clarify their application.
This glossary contains some of the most commonly used expressions in these fields, including those which appear in UNODC publications on quality assurance, and is an
attempt to help promote and harmonize national efforts by providing internationally acceptable terminology. It is intended to be an aid to analysts in the implementation of
quality assurance programmes and good laboratory practices, and is provided to laboratories as an educational document, and as a means of encouraging laboratories
to collaborate and participate in quality assurance matters. As a result, the Glossary includes more than one definition of a word or phrase where these might improve understanding of what they mean.
The current publication is an update of the first edition of the Glossary of Quality Assurance Terms (ST/NAR 26, 1995). This second edition includes many new terms which have
appeared in UNODC publications since the Glossary was first published.
UN document ID number: ST/NAR/26/Rev.1
Publication date: December 2009
Number of pages: 42