substancebased

Substancebased is an adjective used to describe approaches, analyses, or products that base claims or design on the properties or identity of substances themselves, rather than on their context, usage, or associated processes. The term is not widely standardized, and its precise meaning can vary by field.

In materials science and chemistry, a substancebased approach emphasizes chemical composition, purity, phase state, and intrinsic properties as primary determinants of performance or behavior. In pharmacology and toxicology, it may refer to studies focused on a single substance’s effects, safety, or interactions, rather than the behavior of complex mixtures or formulations. In environmental assessment or risk analysis, substancebased methods may prioritize the characterization of specific chemicals over broader system-level factors.

The term is often contrasted with process-based or context-based approaches, which foreground manufacturing methods, workflows, environmental conditions, or usage scenarios. Because substancebased can be ambiguous outside its originating discipline, it is recommended to interpret it from the surrounding discussion or definitions provided in a given work.

Etymology notes and usage patterns vary: substancebased is sometimes written with a hyphen as substance-based, while the unhyphenated form appears in some publications or informal writing. Users should rely on discipline-specific definitions to avoid misinterpretation, and consider whether the term is being used descriptively or as a label for a particular methodological stance.

See also: substance, materials science, chemistry, process-based approach, reductionism.