A detailed description of the selection criteria for each of the three steps will follow to outline the concepts that need to be kept in mind when making your selections.

After consideration of the protection goals, the risk assessment of a particular LMO proceeds to establishing the scope in order to define the extent and the limits of the risk assessment process. This phase usually consists of at least three main actions:

1. selecting relevant assessment endpoints or representative species on which to assess potential adverse effects;
2. establishing baseline information; and
3. when possible, establishing the appropriate comparator(s).

Although these actions are described here as separate activities, in practical terms, this is an iterative process where the risk assessors will usually draw on the results of each action to inform the subsequent actions until all their elements have been considered sufficiently enough to enable the risk assessment to proceed.