Overview of the three multicriteria approaches applied to a global assessment of analytical methods

Critical and global evaluation of analytical methods should be one of the primary goals in analytical chemistry. A holistic approach, however, requires a look at the varied features: commonly discussed validation criteria, often underrated practical and economic aspects, and typically overlooked compliance with the principles of green analytical chemistry. Carrying out such an assessment in a critical and transparent way is extremely difficult without special tools. The purpose of this work is to discuss and compare the three different approaches that seem to be potential candidates: multi-criteria decision analysis methods (MCDA), HEXAGON, and RGB model. The basic principles of each methodology, individual possibilities offered, and the results of the assessment of selected model methods will be presented. Ultimately, the potential compatibility of assessing the same group of methods using different tools will be examined. This contribution can help to select optimal tool and conduct more thorough and insightful assessments. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.