How to Read an Analytical Test Report

Analytical reports can look intimidating. Fortunately, you don't need to be an analytical chemist to understand their basic structure.

First: COA or Test Report?

Certificate of Analysis (COA) and test report are sometimes used conversationally as though they mean exactly the same thing, but document terminology can vary by laboratory and context.

The best practice is simple: use the name the issuing laboratory gives the document.

1. Identify the sample

Look for the reported sample name or identifier. This tells you what material the laboratory says it received and analyzed.

2. Find the batch or lot information

A batch or lot identifier helps connect documentation to a defined group of material.

Where a supplier claims that a report corresponds to a particular batch, the identifiers should be traceable and consistent.

3. Look at what was actually tested

Don't assume every report tests the same attributes.

A report may address:

• Identity
• Chromatographic purity
• Quantity or assay
• Impurities
• Other specified characteristics

The absence of a test should not be replaced with an assumption.

4. Read the result exactly as reported

Pay attention to units.

mg, %, IU, m/z and other values represent different measurements and cannot be substituted for one another.

5. Look for the analytical method

Where provided, note whether the laboratory identifies methods such as HPLC, LC-MS or another analytical procedure.

6. Identify the laboratory

Look for the name of the laboratory, report or task number, analysis date and any available verification information.

7. Verify the original when possible

If the issuing laboratory provides an independent verification system, use it.

Verification helps establish that the report itself corresponds to a record maintained by the laboratory.

Verification does not mean that every possible quality attribute was tested.

Key Takeaway

A useful report tells you what sample was examined, what was tested, how the result was reported and how the documentation can be traced or verified.