The General Notices and Requirements section (the General Notices) presents the basic assumptions, definitions, and default conditions for the interpretation and application of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and the National Formulary (NF).

Requirements stated in these General Notices apply to all articles recognized in the USP and NF (the “compendia”) and to all general chapters unless specifically stated otherwise. Where the requirements of an individual monograph differ from the General Notices or a general chapter, the monograph requirements apply and supersede the requirements of the General Notices or the general chapter, whether or not the monograph explicitly states the difference.