Focus on Global Terminology
"Method" or "Measurement methodology"?

In general, the common term used to denote the logical steps employed for a laboratory test is “method”; however, the International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology (VIM) (1993) breaks the general term down into the following three different aspects of measurement methodology:

Principle of measurement - scientific basis of measurement; EXAMPLES: Creatinine by Spectrophotometry or Thyroxine by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy.

Method of measurement  -  logical sequence of operations, described generically, used in the performance of measurements; NOTE:  (ISO 17511): A given method can be the basis of one or more measurement procedures;  EXAMPLES: Creatinine by Enzymatic Photometry, Creatinine by Jaffe-reaction, Thyroxine by ligand binding assay.

Measurement procedure  -  set of operations, described specifically, used in the performance of particular measurements according to a given method; EXAMPLES: Creatinine by kinetic Jaffe reaction on Analyzer X, made by Manufacturer Y; Thyroxine by immunological method, reagents of manufacturer Y on analyzer X.

Other commonly used terms, such as “test” and “assay" are not recommended due to the high potential for conflicting interpretations.

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