RESEARCH PURCHASING GUIDES · UPDATED 13 SEPTEMBER 2026
A useful batch record connects the item you received to its label, purchase record and supporting documents. This guide provides a practical record structure for laboratory purchasing and receiving checks. Adapt it to your laboratory's quality system.
Start with the item in front of you
Record the product name exactly as labelled, the supplied format, the stated amount and the batch or lot identifier. Keep a readable image of the label alongside the order reference and receipt date. Record missing information as missing; do not infer a batch number from a product name or the date you placed an order.
A simple receiving record
- Product name, format and labelled amount
- Order reference, supplier and date received
- Batch or lot identifier on the container
- Packaging condition and any discrepancy noted on arrival
- Storage instruction supplied for this product
- Report filename, report identifier, issue date and version, where provided
- Name of the person who checked the record
Match the report to the batch
Use the report library as a starting point. Check that the report's identifiers can be connected to the material you hold. A report for the same compound, a different lot or an example document does not establish results for your item. Where the connection is unclear, ask for clarification before treating the report as evidence.
Keep the original document rather than a cropped screenshot of a result. The method, units, report status and limitations may be as relevant as the headline number. The COA reading guide explains these checks in more detail.
Batch traceability and measurement traceability
A purchasing record helps trace the history of an item. Metrological traceability concerns the measurement result and its connection to a reference through a documented calibration chain. A lot number alone does not establish that connection. Eurachem provides guidance on traceability of analytical results for laboratories assessing measurement evidence.
NIST's reference-material definitions explain the information associated with certified reference materials, including specified values, uncertainty and traceability. A commercial product accompanied by a COA is not automatically a certified reference material or a NIST-certified product.
Keep records connected when information changes
If a revised report arrives, retain its issue date and explain which document it supersedes. Record any clarification from the supplier alongside the original question. When several containers arrive together, confirm whether their identifiers match instead of assuming one report covers the entire delivery.
Resolve a discrepancy
Send the support team the order reference, product name, batch identifier and a clear description of the mismatch. Keep affected material separate from work that depends on unresolved documentation, in line with your laboratory's procedures. Do not overwrite the original record with an assumed correction.
This is a purchasing checklist, not a claim that any particular product has passed a test or meets a laboratory's accreditation requirements.
For professional laboratory and analytical research only. Products are not for human or veterinary use. Browse all research guides · Contact the team