Step | Action |
1 | Estimate the expected MDL. |
2 | Calculate the desired spike level such that MDL is between 10 to 100% of the spike. |
3 | Spike at least 7 replicate samples with analytes of interest. Complete the sample preparation steps for each replicate. |
4 | Calibrate the measurement tool. Measure the analytes. This is done within 1 day. |
5 | Calculate the standard deviation of the 7 measurements. (s) |
6 | Determine the correct t-statistic tdf, 99 Determine degrees of freedom (df=n-1) Find the one-tailed t-statistic for 99% confidence level · t-stat is 3.143 for 7 measurements. |
7 | Calculate MDL = t statistic x standard deviation x dilution factor (if not already included in the data). |
8 | Verify: 10% Spike level £ MDL £ Spike level |
9 | Validate that the calculated MDL makes sense. |