Validity of Analysis
Definition
A concept in the Daubert framework and adopted by some statutes: the requirement that a scientific technique has been validated, i.e., tested with known samples to establish accuracy, error rate, and conditions of reliable application. Accreditation requires method validation as a precondition, so accredited results carry an implicit validation record.
- Legal origin
- Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (1993)
- Core requirement
- Testing against known samples to establish accuracy and error rate
- Related process
- Method validation under laboratory accreditation (e.g. ISO/IEC 17025)
- Distinguishes from
- General acceptance under the older Frye standard
Common questions
How does accreditation relate to Daubert-style validation?+
Accreditation bodies require a laboratory to document method validation studies before a technique is used casework, covering accuracy, precision, and known error rates. An accredited lab therefore already holds much of the validation record a Daubert challenge would ask for, though a court still evaluates it independently.
What can undermine validity even after a method has been validated once?+
Validation is tied to defined conditions of use, such as sample type, instrument, and analyst training. Applying the method outside those validated conditions, or with an examiner who has not been competency tested on it, can break the link between the original validation study and the result in a specific case.
Related terms
- Accreditation Body
- A national or regional organisation that assesses laboratories against ISO/IEC 17025 and grants accreditation. Examples include UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), NIST-associated...
- Forensic Science Regulator (FSR)
- A statutory regulator in England and Wales established by the Forensic Science Regulator Act 2021. The FSR sets a mandatory Code of...
- ISO/IEC 17025
- The international standard for testing and calibration laboratories, published jointly by the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission. It...
- NABL
- National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, a constituent board of the Quality Council of India. It is the sole accrediting...
- Proficiency Testing
- An external quality assurance programme in which a laboratory analyses blind samples distributed by an independent provider and submits results for comparison...