Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies (such as UKAS); hence they are sometimes known as "accredited certification bodies". The accreditation process ensures that their certification practices are acceptable, typically meaning that they are competent to test and certify third parties, behave ethically, and employ suitable quality assurance.

One example of accreditation is the accreditation of testing laboratories and certification specialists that are permitted to issue official certificates of compliance with established standards, such as physical, chemical, forensic, quality, and security standards.

Accreditation processes are used in a wide variety of fields:

• Accredited investor
• Accredited in Public Relations
• Accredited Registrar
• Diplomatic accreditation
• Email sender accreditation
• Professional certification
• Healthcare
• International healthcare accreditation
• Hospital accreditation
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
• Trent Accreditation Scheme
• United Kingdom Accreditation Forum
• Educational accreditation
• List of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning
• Regional accreditation (United States)
• Accreditation mill
• List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning
• List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning

See also

• Accreditation Council (disambiguation)
• Authentication
• Certification
• Verification and Validation
• Homologation
• International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation
• Quality assurance
• Standards organization
• Validation
• Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik

External links

• European co-operation for Accreditation - a member of International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation
• International Accreditation Service - a subsidiary of International Code Council
• International Organic Accreditation Service
• Analytic Quality Glossary: Accreditation