The document field guide
Read a COA
in context.
Start with the sample. Read the method. Keep the result with its units and stated limits.
Scope before results
Begin with what the report covers.
A certificate of analysis describes the sample and tests stated in that report. Begin with its identifiers and scope before reading a result.
This guide explains report fields. The illustration is a field map, with no test results or named issuer. For a material’s actual document state, open its exact record.
Identity and sample
Identify the material and the sample.
Read the report’s own description. Look for the material name, amount where stated, sample identifier and actual lot reference. Keep their different roles in view.
- Material
- The exact name and description of the submitted material.
- Amount
- The amount or strength, if stated. A label amount and a measured result have different roles.
- Sample identifier
- The identifier assigned to the sample described by the report.
- Lot reference
- The actual lot or batch reference, when present. Do not replace a missing lot reference with a SKU.
Report field map
Reading illustrationIdentity & sample
Material name · stated amount · sample identifier · actual lot reference, when present
Test & method
The question tested and the procedure used
Result
The reported finding
Units
The measurement basis
Limits
The stated boundaries
Issuer, dates & revision
Who issued the report, when, and which version
Method and measurement
Read the measurement as a whole.
A number on its own leaves out the way it was measured. Keep the reported method, units and stated limits alongside the result.
Find the method
Identify the test or procedure named for this result. Follow the report’s description of what that method measured.
Keep the units
Read the result with its units and measurement basis. Different units or methods may describe different quantities.
Read the boundaries
Look for the stated specification, limits, qualifications and uncertainty where reported. Do not turn an unreported field into a finding.
Different questions
Four questions to keep separate.
Look for the test that addresses your question. One type of result does not supply an unreported result for another.
Identity
What does the report say the tested material is? Read the identity finding and the method supporting it.
Purity
How is the tested sample’s purity described? Read the reported basis and method; a percentage alone does not explain them.
Quantity
What amount was measured? Read the quantity or assay result with its units and stated scope.
Sterility
Was sterility tested and reported? Look for an explicit test and finding. Identity, purity and quantity fields do not fill this gap.
The document trail
Know who issued the report, and when.
Find the named testing laboratory or issuer, the report’s issue date and its revision or public reference. Sample receipt, analysis and issue dates describe different events.
If a genuine source-verification link is supplied with the released record, use that link to check the referenced report. A supplier name alone does not identify the testing laboratory.
Sample and test
The sample identifier connects the stated material with the tests described in the report.
Issuer and date
The named issuer and issue date identify who released that report and when.
Reference and revision
The exact reference and revision distinguish that document from an earlier or changed version.
Compare the references
Compare the actual references.
Place the label or supplied paperwork beside the released report. Match the exact name and the actual identifiers that both provide.
A matching SKU connects a catalog variant. It does not establish that a report belongs to a particular lot or vial. If a name or reference differs, ask about that difference before relying on the document.
| On the material or paperwork | In the report |
|---|---|
| Material name and stated amount | The sample description and amount, where stated. |
| Actual lot reference, if supplied | The lot or batch reference explicitly named for the tested sample. |
| Public document reference, if supplied | The exact public reference and revision of the released document. |
Continue with the record
Open the record that belongs to your reference.
Use Verify to start from a printed reference, or ask Getatru about a specific field or mismatch. The record’s current state determines whether a document is available.
For research use only. Not for human consumption. Not for human or veterinary use.
