Standardization of Test Material(s) in Experimental Research

To the extent that the experimenter is specific about the materials involved, his experiments are likely to be reproducible. The degree of involvement may vary from the highest-extreme to the lowest: from the materials being tested as a part of the experiment to the materials used for the furniture in the room. To illustrate the point, we restrict our discussion here to the “closer” materials. (There are records of the “farther” materials having significance— discovered too late—rendering the experiment worthless). Let us take a common material: water. Suppose part of a hypothesis is to use water to make a certain mix, which provides the sample for specimen preparation; for example, it says to add 30 cc of water and mix thoroughly. The hypothesis is unspecific in that it uses the word “water” in a generic sense. Could it mean water from the faucet, even if it looks muddy? Could it mean freezing cold water? What if the water is 200°F? Instead, if we find in that part of the hypothesis, add 30 cc of distilled water at room temperature, to that extent, the water used in the experiment is “standardized.”

One can, on reflection, recognize that many materials known to us and often involved in experiments are known in their generic form. Clay, salt, steel, plastic, and wood are some exam­ples. For instance, we may find mention of “concentrated hydrochloric acid,” without knowing the degree of concentra­tion. When such generic materials are involved in the experi­ment, the investigator should make sure to specify the materials in terms of their significant, determinable properties and either stock enough of the material and some to spare for all the exper­iments involved (assuming that the material does not decom­pose or deteriorate), or check every new consignment to be sure that the measurable variation in the specific properties are within predetermined limits.

Source: Srinagesh K (2005), The Principles of Experimental Research, Butterworth-Heinemann; 1st edition.