EVIDENCE / QUALITY
What a lab report can tell you.
A testing claim is only as useful as the information behind it. This guide explains the questions a reader can ask of a report. It does not verify any product or batch on this site.
01
Identify the sample.
Look for a sample identifier, the date it was received or tested, and a clear description of what the laboratory examined. A report about one sample is evidence about that sample; it does not, by itself, describe every other item.
02
Read the scope of testing.
Check which properties were measured, which methods were used, and which results were reported. A test that measures one property does not answer questions it was not designed to address.
03
Notice uncertainty and limits.
Measurement results have limits. NIST explains that certificates for its reference materials include certified values and associated measurement uncertainty. A result without its method and limits is difficult to interpret responsibly.
04
Do not treat a certificate as a universal guarantee.
The FDA has warned regulated manufacturers against relying solely on a supplier’s certificate of analysis when the supplier’s results have not been shown to be reliable. A certificate is a document to evaluate, not a blanket safety or quality guarantee.
Source notes
See NIST’s reference materials overview for how certified values and uncertainty are described, and an FDA warning letter illustrating why a certificate alone may be insufficient in a regulated manufacturing setting.
If a page on this site makes a testing claim without a report or enough context to assess it, send the page URL through our Contact page.