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Understanding the meaning of accuracy, trueness and precision

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Abstract

Clear definitions of basic terms, used to describe the quality of measurements, is essential for communication among scientists as well as when reporting measurement results to clients. Even if appropriate definitions are given in international standards and guidelines, the understanding of some basic terms sometimes proves difficult. The reasons for this are various, e.g., the same words being defined rather differently in encyclopaedias and in international standards as well as concepts, well established in some languages, that may be relatively new in other national communities and at large in the international one. Here we present a matrix intended to clarify the relationships between the type of error affecting an analytical measurement, the respective qualitative concepts (performance characteristics) and their quantitative expression.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. Precision–The quality, condition or fact of being exact and accurate. Pearsall, J (ed), The new Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford University Press 1998.

References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Safety and Public Veterinary Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy

    Antonio Menditto & Marina Patriarca

  2. SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, Borås, Sweden

    Bertil Magnusson

Authors
  1. Antonio Menditto
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  2. Marina Patriarca
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  3. Bertil Magnusson
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Correspondence to Antonio Menditto.

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Papers published in this section do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editors, the Editorial Board and the Publisher.

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Menditto, A., Patriarca, M. & Magnusson, B. Understanding the meaning of accuracy, trueness and precision. Accred Qual Assur 12, 45–47 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-006-0191-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-006-0191-z

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