The right term

摘要

Those who have been involved in the world of standardization will be aware of the importance of using well-defined terms in a consistent manner. A problem that has beset the conformity assessment community is the subtle changes that occur in the way that terms are used. A few decades ago, "type approval" was a well-understood term. Now we might refer to "type certification" or "type examination". Is conformity assessment always a third party activity? Probably not. So venturing a definition of peer assessment is a risky business, exposing those who do so to the potential for criticism from many quarters.