Reproducibility
Definition
The closeness of agreement between measurements obtained under changed conditions: different analysts, different instruments, different laboratories, or different times. A wider measure of precision that reflects how a result would transfer across forensic settings.
- Domain
- Method validation
- Contrasts with
- Repeatability (same conditions)
- Varies across
- Analyst, instrument, lab, time
- Relates to
- Precision
Common questions
How does reproducibility differ from repeatability?+
Repeatability measures agreement under the same conditions, same analyst and instrument, while reproducibility measures agreement when those conditions change, a more demanding test for results that may be challenged across labs.
Why does reproducibility matter for courtroom evidence?+
A result that only holds under one analyst's specific conditions offers weaker assurance than one shown to reproduce across different analysts, instruments, or laboratories.
Related terms
- Limit of Detection (LOD)
- The lowest concentration of analyte that produces a signal reliably distinguishable from the instrument noise, conventionally three times the standard deviation of...
- Limit of Quantitation (LOQ)
- The lowest concentration at which the assay can produce a quantitative measurement with acceptable precision and accuracy, typically defined as the concentration...
- Repeatability
- The agreement between successive measurements of the same specimen made by the same analyst, on the same instrument, in the same laboratory,...
- Robustness
- The capacity of a method to remain unaffected by small, deliberate variations in its operating parameters, such as slight changes in temperature,...
- Selectivity
- The ability of a method to measure the target analyte specifically, even when other substances that might plausibly appear in a real...