Scenario
You measured a sample on a spectrophotometer and have concentration, A260/280, and A260/230 values.
The example focuses on the bench decision that follows the readout: proceed, dilute, or clean up.
Inputs to confirm
Use the correct blank solution rather than water by default.
Record whether the sample is genomic DNA, plasmid DNA, or RNA because interpretation differs slightly.
Check whether the final concentration is high enough after any cleanup step you may need.
How a researcher would use the result
Treat purity ratios as context, not as a pass-fail number detached from the downstream assay.
If the sample is borderline, pair the concentration result with the actual sensitivity of the next step rather than repeating cleanup automatically.
Common failure points
Using a good concentration value to ignore poor purity.
Treating every low ratio as the same contamination problem.
Skipping a quick reassessment after dilution or cleanup.