There are many industries that rely on scientific research and analytical science databases. When a study produces scientific results that are also used to establish information or documents for education, that information needs to be entirely accurate. Considering that there are many things that can affect the results of a scientific study, they must go through a series of tests. These tests all have required analytical method development requirements, as well as required measurement tools, like the BET analysis instrument.

Choose a method of research
The first step to establishing accurate results requires the researcher to choose a mode of research. There are many different research techniques available to the analytical development scientist, each with their own benefits to the specific type of research that needs to be gathered. Look at all of the pros and cons of each type of scientific study and then decide which one is best for proving accuracy of your testing results.

For example, laser diffraction testing and particle size analysis is used by the sieving or laser diffraction method including sampling of bulk powders, sub sampling or bulk samples for specimen, specimen preparation or dispersion, instrument set up and verification, size measurements, data analysis and interpretation, and report of size results. Each of these steps are necessary and are crucial in establishing the accuracy of the BET analysis instrument results.

Measurement of drug substances
Some substances, like drug substances require different types of measurement tools than the BET analysis instrument. The drug substance board may also have their own regulations and requirements needed for testing, as well. It is important to remember these rules to ensure research is up to standard. For the drug substance, the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guideline Q6A provides guidance on when a particle size specification should be considered. In summary, a particle size specification is required if the particle size of the drug substance is critical to drug product performance (i.e. dissolution, solubility, bioavailability, content uniformity, stability, or product appearance).

Repetition of testing results
Successful results on one study are not enough to establish accurate data. A true study is able to mimic the results, across many different studies, achieving similar results. In fact, the results often are required to be within a couple points of accuracy to count. The BET analysis instrument may be helpful in multiple modes of study. The best results come from one tested item that is tested with multiple tools. This shows that the results must be accurate, and that there are no issues within the measuring tool.

Smaller item measurements
Some industry areas are particularly difficult to study, because of their extremely small size. These small sizes are often even too small for the human eye to identify. However, there are tools available to effectively measure these small items, if they are used correctly. Standard laser diffraction equipment, for example, can be used for particles in the size range from about 400 nm up to a few millimeters. For newer equipment, the size range is often extended down to the lower nanometer range by combining laser diffraction with other techniques, such as measurement of scattering intensities in different directions.

The study of science and research is so complex that it takes many years of education and research to be involved in testing. Testing one specific item or theory often involves multiple researchers, a variety of testing equipment, and the ability to complete tests with similar results. Some tests are used more frequently than others, such as the BET analysis instrument. However, the best results are achieved with multiple testing tools over the course of the same test. There are also specific research steps and criteria that need to be carefully followed so as not to harm the accurate results of the testing.