In experimental methodology, a round-robin test is an interlaboratory test (measurement, analysis, or

experiment An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

) performed independently several times. This can involve multiple independent scientists performing the test with the use of the same method in different equipment, or a variety of methods and equipment. In reality it is often a combination of the two, for example if a sample is analysed, or one (or more) of its properties is measured by different laboratories using different methods, or even just by different units of equipment of identical construction. A round-robin program is a measurement systems analysis technique which uses

analysis of variance Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is a family of statistical methods used to compare the Mean, means of two or more groups by analyzing variance. Specifically, ANOVA compares the amount of variation ''between'' the group means to the amount of variati ...

(ANOVA)

random effects model In econometrics, a random effects model, also called a variance components model, is a statistical model where the model parameters are random variables. It is a kind of hierarchical linear model, which assumes that the data being analysed are ...

to assess a measurement system.

Round-robin tests regarding
occupational safety and health Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work (i.e., while performing duties required by one's occupation). OSH is re ...

Companies are obliged to determine whether hazardous substances are in the air at the

workplace A workplace is a location where someone works, for their employer or themselves, a place of employment. Such a place can range from a home office to a large office building or factory. For industrialized societies, the workplace is one of the ...

by using appropriate measurements. To maintain the quality parameters for analytic procedures, the quality assurance methods are to be applied that are state-of-the-art. The Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance (IFA) provides proficiency testing as support and assistance for the measuring stations worldwide for the purpose of self-examination and for the external presentation of quality standards. The PT schemes are conducted according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17043 and DIN ISO 13528. The IFA organises the proficiency testing schemes in co-operation with the German association of environmental and OSH measurement bodies (BUA) and in collaboration with international partner institutes.German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV): Proficiency testing at the IFA
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Purpose

There are different reasons for performing a round-robin test: * determination the

reproducibility Reproducibility, closely related to replicability and repeatability, is a major principle underpinning the scientific method. For the findings of a study to be reproducible means that results obtained by an experiment or an observational study or ...

of a

test method A test method is a method for a test in science or engineering, such as a physical test, chemical test, or statistical test. It is a specified procedure that produces a test result. To ensure accurate and relevant results, a test method should b ...

or process * verification of a new method of analysis. If a new method of analysis has been developed, a round-robin test involving proven methods would verify whether the new method produces results that agree with the established method. * providing basis, by interlaboratory testing, for certificates of quantitative analysis on a given material in

certified reference materials Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

production.

Further info

ASTM ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is a standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical international standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and s ...

E691 Standard Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method * IUPAC
Round Robin Test on the Molecular Characterization of Epoxy Resins by Liquid Chromatography
* NIST/SEMATEK (2008
''Handbook of Statistical Methods''

References

{{reflist Design of experiments Statistical tests