Laboratory Documentation Glossary
Plain-language terms used in analytical reports, laboratory records, and research-material documentation.
- Aliquot
- A measured portion taken from a larger quantity for a defined laboratory operation.
- Analyte
- The component a method is designed to identify or measure.
- Acceptance criterion
- A documented limit or condition used to determine whether a result is acceptable.
- Batch / lot
- A defined quantity produced or handled under conditions intended to preserve common identity and traceability.
- Certificate of Analysis (COA)
- A report connecting a specific sample or lot to stated analytical methods, results, and approvals.
- Chain of custody
- The record of possession, transfer, location, and control of a sample or material.
- Chromatography
- A family of methods that separates components so they can be detected or measured.
- Concentration
- The amount of a component per unit volume or mass, reported with explicit units.
- Identity test
- A test intended to support that the expected analyte is present. Identity and purity answer different questions.
- LC–MS
- Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, combining separation with mass-based detection.
- Lyophilized
- Freeze-dried under defined conditions. The term alone does not establish stability or a universal storage condition.
- Method validation
- Documented evidence that an analytical procedure is suitable for its intended purpose.
- Metrological traceability
- A property of a measurement result that connects it through a documented calibration chain to a stated reference.
- Purity
- A method-dependent characterization of the principal component relative to detected components. It does not automatically describe identity, sterility, or every impurity.
- Reference material
- A material sufficiently characterized for a specified use in measurement or method evaluation.
- SOP
- Standard operating procedure: an approved, controlled instruction for carrying out and documenting a laboratory process.
- System suitability
- Checks used to confirm that an analytical system is performing adequately before or during sample analysis.
Boundary: This glossary covers laboratory documentation only. It does not provide medical advice, human-use directions, administration guidance, or protocols.
Peptide Simplified editorial team. Last reviewed July 29, 2026.