Analytical reliability of simple, rapid, minuturizated, direct analytical processes: A call to arms

There is an urgent need to assure the quality of the results provided by rapid, simple and direct analytical processes, ordinary not involving sample preparation steps. These analytical systems, sometimes called “tests methods”, which are of increasing importance in the production of data, information and knowledge, are outlined here. To support this goal, an analytical property named “reliability”, non-systematically used, is fully defined here by emphasizing its summative character of the other analytical properties, as well as by exploiting the fact that its meaning is well understood by the society. After describing the principal bottle-necks of analytical chemistry, the relationships between clients and analysts, as well as the types of analytical results are discussed. In the second part, the basic definition allows to show the variety of meanings of it. Then, analytical reliability is fully described by showing the application the adjective reliable in this context, as well as the way that it can express almost homogeneous reliability of test methods providing different analytical results. These aspects are proposed and discussed in this review.