This document specifies information to be reported by an analyst in a datasheet, certificate of analysis, report or other publication regarding the handling, preparation, processing and mounting of specimens for surface analysis. Appropriate sample handling with adequate documentation is needed to ensure and assess reliability and reproducibility of analyses. Such information is in addition to other details associated with specimen synthesis, processing history and characterization, and should become part of the data record (sometimes identified as provenance information) regarding the source of the material and changes that have taken place since it was originated.

This document also includes normative annexes that summarize important processes and common approaches relevant to sample preparation and mounting for surface analysis. The descriptions of procedures for which records and reporting are required follow the steps that an analyst would follow from receiving the samples, to cleaning or processing outside of the analysis chamber, sample mounting and then treatments in the analysis chamber. The descriptions of the processes and their implications are intended as an aid for the analyst in understanding the reporting requirements for the specialized sample-handling conditions and approaches required for analyses by techniques such as Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The methods described are also applicable for other analytical techniques, such as total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (TXRF), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), some types of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) including atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), ultra-violet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and medium- and low-energy ion scattering (MEIS and LEIS [also called ion surface scattering, ISS]) that are sensitive to surface composition.

This document does not specify the nature of instrumentation, instrument conditions (e.g., calibration or vacuum quality), or operating procedures required to ensure that the analytical measurements described have been appropriately conducted.