Independent · non-commercial · publishes on a quarterly cycle|Current cycle 2026 Q3
Compound Evidence InstituteEvidence synthesis · established 2023Graded assessments of compounds, trials, methods and supply
Document set current to 30 July 2026
Methodological standard · §5

CEI-MS-13 — system suitability and acceptance criteria

The performance the system must demonstrate, and the criteria a result must meet to be reportable.

Document identifier
CEI-MS-13/5
Series
Methodological standard
Version
1.2
Published
21 Feb 2025
Last reviewed
21 Aug 2025
Next review
21 Aug 2028
Identifier
10.71829/cei.meth.12
Certainty
High
Cycle
2025 Q1
Category
Method validation

§5System suitability and acceptance criteria

§5.1System suitability

Table 1. System suitability criteria. A determination is reportable only where every criterion is met at the time of analysis.

ParameterCriterionWhat it establishes
Degradation achieved in each stressed sample5–20 %Relevance of the challenge
Resolution, analyte to nearest degradant≥ 1.5Specificity
Peak purity angleBelow the purity thresholdAbsence of co-elution
Mass balance95–105 %Completeness of degradant accounting
Accuracy at three levels98–102 % recoveryAssay accuracy
RepeatabilityRelative standard deviation ≤ 2.0 %Precision

§5.2Acceptance criteria

  • A method is designated stability-indicating only where all criteria are met and the stress conditions were selected from the analyte’s own degradation chemistry.
  • A method validated only against a generic stress panel, without regard to the analyte’s labile residues, is not stability-indicating for that analyte.
  • A purity or in-use claim supported by a method that is not stability-indicating is recorded by the Institute as unsupported.

§5.3Limitations

Nothing published by the Institute is medical advice, a diagnosis, a prescription, a treatment recommendation or a purchasing recommendation. Compounds supplied for research use are not approved for human or veterinary use in any jurisdiction, and a favourable analytical assessment of a supplier is not a statement that any product is safe or effective. The Institute publishes certainty ratings and never recommendations. No telephone number, messaging handle or ordering channel appears anywhere on this site.