Reference methods for autoimmune antibodies measurements have not been defined yet, forcing the international organizations devoted to standardization to assign arbitrary units to their reference material.

Standardization of autoantibodies detection by immunofluorescence is based on the identification of the reference material staining pattern, and eventually, on its titration using the same test method under the same routine conditions. The titer is expressed as a potency and provides a factor for conversion of the results obtained.

The aims of quality control schemes are, in general, to provide participants with an objective assessment of their performance within their laboratories and in relation to other laboratories, to provide information on the relative performance of the available kits and methods, and to identify factors associated with good and poor performance.

The international External Quality Assessment program organised by BioSystems S.A. (PREVECAL) is intended to help train specialist in the interpretation of the results because the task is subjective and requires adequate skills and experience.