ISO 9001:2015 clause 9.2.1 requires internal quality audits to be undertaken as a tool to monitor compliance with policy, continuous improvement, and certification. These internal quality audits are typically seen as a vehicle to improve process efficiency and performance and are adopted by both accredited and non-accredited facilities. There are conflicting views that internal quality audits do not add value because they focus too much on compliance not enough on improvement.  Hence, this study will conduct a comparative analysis on the effectiveness of internal quality audits in certified and non-certified laboratories at a selected sectors to determine if quality audit practices are influenced by the accreditation status of a laboratory. This study adopts a theoretical approach using a systematic literature review to explore the existing knowledge on the subject in different countries, covering the period 2019-2023. DUT online databases will be used to access Emerald Insight, Taylor & Francis, Scopus, and other others. Selected keywords like, ISO 9001, internal quality audit, external quality audit, and Quality Management System will be used. The search will be confined to quality audits only, with no other types of audits being considered. The review will be limited to English peer-reviewed academic journals.

Keywords: ISO 9001, QMS, & Internal Audit, Effectiveness & Forensic Services