Glossary
Words that get confused
Pairs of terms that look alike and are not, with the difference that matters.
Many misunderstandings with suppliers, clients and auditors come from using as synonyms words that mean different things. These are the ones that cause the most confusion.
Signing and certifying
Signing expresses a will about a content: I accept it, approve it, acknowledge it. Certifying fixes that a file existed and has not changed since a date. You can certify something nobody signs, and sign something without certifying it.
Verifying and validating
Verifying checks that something is what it claims to be (the file has not changed, the signature is genuine). Validating decides that it serves your purpose. A certificate can verify perfectly and be useless to you because it has expired.
Approving and accepting
Accepting is receiving something as delivered. Approving is signing off on its content. When a process mixes them, someone ends up endorsing what they had merely received.
Important
The pair that causes most trouble is the second. "It is verified" and "it is validated" sound alike and mean different things in an audit: the first is a technical property of the file, the second is your decision, which you answer for.
Three more, more briefly
| Pair | Difference in one line |
|---|---|
| Document and data | The document is the file; the data is what was extracted from it |
| File and folder | A file has status and process; a folder only groups |
| Expired and superseded | Expired is stated by its date; superseded is decided by you |
Watch out
And one that is not a pair but a trap: "certified copy" does not mean the same in every context. When someone asks for one, ask exactly what they need before sending anything — often a verifiable document is enough.
Why it is worth using them properly
Worth knowing
If one of these words is used differently in your company, write that down. That your sector says "validate" for what here is "verify" is not a problem as long as it is clear somewhere.
›Does it matter day to day?
Usually not. It stops not mattering as soon as there is a third party or a dispute.
›What is the commonest mistake?
Using "validated" to mean the file is intact.
›Are there more terms?
Yes, in the general glossary and in each concept's own entry.
A real case
The situation
A client asks for "validated documentation" and the supplier sends verifiable files.
What you do
- They ask what exactly is needed
- It turns out they wanted quality sign-off, not a file property
What you get
The right thing is delivered first time instead of two rounds of emails.
The situation
An «original» document is requested and a scan arrives.
What you do
- Clarifies whether paper is needed or a copy suffices
What you get
A whole courier round trip is avoided.
The situation
Signing is confused with giving approval.
What you do
- Distinguishes who approves from who signs
What you get
The circuit reflects what actually happens.
The situation
«Current» and «valid» are used interchangeably.
What you do
- Checks what each one refers to
What you get
You ask for the date or the check, as appropriate.
The situation
A client asks for «traceability» and expects a report.
What you do
- Asks what they want to be able to demonstrate
What you get
What is delivered addresses their actual need.
The situation
«Expired» is mixed up with «never provided».
What you do
- Distinguishes what lapsed from what never arrived
What you get
The chase is aimed at the right thing.
This article answers
- difference between signing and certifying
- validating or verifying a document
- are approving and accepting the same
- difference between a file and a folder