Good pipetting practice – A science based approach for quality management of pipetting

Pipetting is a frequent and essential technique in many life sciences applications. In the past, laboratories have sometimes lacked a sound metrological understanding of pipetting accuracy, specifically concerning the measurement uncertainty in use , which quantifies the accuracy of delivered volumes in routine use and has been described in ISO 8655–1, ISO/TR 20461, and the newly published ISO 8655–10. In addition to properly calibrated pipettes, the influence of the user, the type of liquid, and the environment can be significant factors affecting pipetting results. This paper introduces Good Pipetting Practice (GPP), a science-based approach for quality management of pipetting. Based on the user's requirements and prevailing pipetting risks, it provides a strategy for reducing measurement errors and ensuring accurate results. Besides addressing the instrument's metrological aspects such as the safe pipetting range, it also builds on ISO 8655-10 by describing best-practice user techniques and establishing a risk-based calibration and routine testing scenario of pipettes.