What are the ALCOA data integrity principles in the laboratory?

• A. Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, and Accurate data.
• B. Always Logical, Consistent, and Organized Data.
• C. All data must be Overwritten, Cleaned, and Organized.
• D. Automated, Logged, Coded, Optimized, Archived data.

Answer: (A)

ALCOA data integrity principles mean data in the laboratory should be Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, and Accurate. Attributable means there is a clear record of who created or modified the data and when. Legible ensures records are readable and understandable. Contemporaneous means data are recorded at the time of the activity, not long after the fact. Original means you preserve the original data or source, not a copied or altered version. Accurate means the data correctly reflect the observation or measurement.

This combination is the best match because it covers who did the work, how clear the record is, when it was created, what the original source data are, and whether the data truly represent what happened. The other descriptions don’t reflect the ALCOA acronym: they either introduce unrelated terms or imply practices (like overwriting originals) that break traceability and integrity.