NOVEX NOTES 187 / English
Instrument drift across an analytical run
Editorial educational material · 16 October 2026
Understanding the question
A signal may change over time during an analytical sequence. Examining ordered data can help distinguish a time pattern from random variation. An overall average can hide that pattern.
A worked example
In a fictional sequence, reference responses move steadily upward while sample types are run in separate blocks. The reviewer asks whether time and sample category are confounded. The pattern does not by itself identify the cause, but it limits a simple comparison of the category averages.
Original editorial teaching example, not clinical trial findings.What to check
Inspect the order and control records. Do not correct results with an invented trend or present a visually stable average as evidence that the whole sequence was stable.
Source and further reading
NIST — Exploratory data analysis ↗
Educational material. The source concerns the scientific topic, not NOVEX products. This article does not verify product properties or provide administration instructions. A short guide is not a systematic review.