A raw data review checks whether original observations and instrument outputs were recorded, transferred, processed, and assessed appropriately for their intended use. In environmental monitoring, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes it as a layered process that can accept data, reject it for a particular purpose, or qualify it with a flag. The steps below use ambient-air monitoring as the concrete example; other fields, including video games, need their own definitions and quality criteria.
What counts as raw data?
“Raw data” means the original records at a particular point in a measurement or collection process. The boundary depends on the project: it might be instrument readings, counts, survey observations, or spectra. Averages and other calculated metrics are derived from those inputs, but a value considered raw in one workflow may already have been transformed earlier in another. Define the boundary for the specific study rather than treating the phrase as universal. A 2020 discussion of scientific integrity and reproducibility likewise highlights that raw-data boundaries depend on context.
What does a raw data review determine?
Review is more than scanning for values that look wrong. It assesses whether records were captured, transmitted, and processed correctly, and whether the resulting data meet the needs and requirements of their intended use. EPA’s Best Practices for Review and Validation of Ambient Air Monitoring Data describes review as multi-step and multi-layered, with verification and validation techniques used to make consistent decisions.
In that ambient-air guidance, validation evaluates usefulness for the monitoring purpose and compliance with applicable specifications. These can include regulations, a project quality assurance project plan (QAPP), standard operating procedures (SOPs), analytical methods, instrument designation, and measurement quality objectives. Terminology differs across quality systems, so apply the definitions and criteria governing the project.
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A reviewer may accept an observation, reject it as invalid for a particular use, or qualify it with a flag. A qualified result is not necessarily unusable: the flag records a limitation or condition that matters to interpretation. The decision should follow the project’s stated criteria and be supported by records another reviewer can examine.
A practical review workflow
Use this as a framework, not a universal regulatory checklist. The EPA process is specific to ambient-air monitoring; adapt the sequence to the applicable program, methods, and SOP.
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- Set the intended use and objectives. Identify the decision the data must support and the quality requirements that apply. Validation is about fitness for that use, not plausibility alone.
- Map the measurement and record chain. Identify what counts as original data, how it is collected and transferred, which processing steps create derived values, and what metadata or logs provide context.
- Write the rules before reviewing. Specify acceptance criteria, flag meanings, handling of missing or anomalous observations, reviewer roles, documentation requirements, and completion timeframes in the project procedure.
- Run timely checks. Look for missing records, unusual patterns, instrument flags, or other exceptions. In EPA’s ambient-air framework, Level 1 review is performed daily, covers the previous 24 hours, and evaluates 100% of collected data. That schedule and coverage are EPA’s recommendation for this monitoring context, not a rule for every discipline.
- Compare records with context and quality-control evidence. Check relevant instrument checks, operational logs, and other supporting evidence. A value that appears unusual may reflect a real event, an instrument issue, or a processing problem; the evidence determines how it should be treated.
- Record each decision and its rationale. State whether the data are accepted, rejected for a specified purpose, or qualified, and link the decision to the applicable criterion and evidence. Record uncertainty and unresolved cases rather than silently removing them.
- Preserve originals and track changes. Keep original files intact, store edited or processed data separately, and record what changed, who changed it, and why. Carry unresolved or higher-risk cases into an appropriate additional review tier.
What a review procedure should specify
EPA recommends that an ambient-air review SOP make the work consistent and reproducible. Useful elements include:
- Reviewer responsibilities and any independent or later review.
- Review steps, acceptance criteria, and how exceptions are handled.
- Common data questions and the evidence needed to resolve them.
- Codes or flags and what each one means.
- Required records, documentation, and timeframes for completing reviews.
The review design can be assessed against its purpose and criteria, coverage and timing, reviewer expertise and independence, traceability, consistency, and treatment of questionable observations. The correct number of review tiers and any sampling percentages depend on the program and its procedures; EPA’s ambient-air example should not be generalized into a universal specification.
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Why preserving the original matters
If a value is changed without retaining the source record and an explanation, a later reviewer may be unable to tell whether the result came from the instrument, a calculation, or a correction. EPA recommends systems that preserve the original, unedited dataset and track data changes and the people who made them. A review record should let another person trace a reported result back through the relevant observations, metadata, edits, and logs.
A concrete example appears in the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’s SO2/H2S QAPP, Version 1 Revision 0, dated July 12, 2024. It describes keeping raw files archived as-is and edited data separately, with data management designed so an auditor can reconstruct reported values and see the evidence and rationale for their validity or invalidity. Its instruments and setup are specific to that project, not general requirements for other reviews.
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How to make review decisions reproducible
Reviewers should use the same defined criteria and leave a record that supports the outcome. When a result is questionable, document which evidence was considered, which rule applied, whether the result remains useful for a particular purpose, and any qualifier needed by later users. This makes the reasoning inspectable instead of relying on an unexplained pass/fail label.
For compliance or formal reporting, check the current regulations, jurisdiction, project QAPP, and applicable SOP. EPA’s guidance provides an ambient-air monitoring framework; it is not a substitute for the requirements that govern another field or project.
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