Quality Assurance for Scientists and Engineers

Scientific research generates data. However, if the quality of the data is poor and unreliable, progress will be impeded- sometimes for years. Scientists conducting research must be fully equipped with the appropriate tools to plan and execute well managed, reproducible scientific research - tools that will also help them later in their careers. Whilst scientists studying at university gain many of the practical skills needed to conduct research, there is little formal attention given to quality assurance and reproducibility. Those deciding to pursue a career in industry or at national or international laboratories are introduced to quality assurance management systems - formal ways of working such as ISO17025 and ISO9001 that help to ensure the accuracy and reproducibility of their work. These systems have evolved over time to provide a framework that is recognized internationally, giving the organization and its customers confidence in the scientific excellence of the work.

The aim of this book is to introduce the topic of quality assurance management to scientists at an early stage in their careers. It describes the issues they are likely to encounter in the workplace: what should be done to check (and double-check) their work and how to document what they have done. There are many interesting scientific challenges on the way - puzzling out what could possibly go wrong and avoiding the problem is often as fascinating as carrying out the work itself.