Background
The question regarding whether test reports shall include the identification of the standard method used together with its date of issue or revision status was discussed by the committee in 2020 (FAQ 40.3). This FAQ was published in February 2021.
At that time, it was concluded that, “…even if it is not explicitly required to include the issuing date/revision status of standard methods in test reports, it is believed that it should be a good practice, at least for standard methods, to report it in order to improve comparability of test results among laboratories.” (This is a part of the response, which included more information)
However, experience gained since the publication of FAQ 40.3 shows that, even when the approach agreed by the committee in 2020 is applied in line with the response provided, different practices among ABs continue to be observed. In practice, some ABs require the year of the standard to be included in test reports, where others do not, both approaches being considered acceptable under the current wording of the FAQ.
As a result, the same requirement continues to be applied differently from one country to another, and the lack of harmonisation remains.
In this context, one of our accredited laboratories, operating in different countries, has highlighted this different way of addressing the same requirement depending on the AB.
For this reason, it is considered appropriate to revisit the question in order to assess whether further clarification is needed to ensure a harmonised application.
In addition, it should be noted that:
– According to standardisation bodies, a reference to a standard consists of its code together with its date of publication.
– Furthermore, when a new version of a standard is published, unlike internal procedures, the approval of a new revision is not under the control of the laboratory, but lies with the standardisation body. Then, between the publication of a new version of a standard and the moment the laboratory becomes aware of it, a certain period of time may pass during which test reports are issued. In the absence of the year of the standard in the report, this could lead to the assumption that the current version of the standard was applied, where in reality an obsolete version was used.
– it should also be noted that some legislation or regulations require the use of obsolete standards, or establish different adaptation periods for the use of an obsolete standard or its corresponding updated version, which is also important to reflect in the report, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that the information contained in the report is unambiguous, and the date of issue.
Question
Taking into account:
• the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017, in particular clauses 7.2.1.3, 7.8.1.2 and 7.8.2.1 f),
• the definition of a standard reference as established by standardisation bodies,
• and the need for harmonised application among ABs,
Should the identification of methods in reports, in the case of standard methods, always include the full reference to the standard (code and year of publication) as a mandatory and harmonised application of the standard, rather than merely as a good practice?
March 2026
Yes, because the issued version/date of the standard method is part of the identification of the method and ensures comparability of the results. In addition, this ensures clarity on the report for the customer and also for the users of the reports.