Single aliquot protocols are now widely used as a means of measuring the equivalent dose (D-e) in quartz and feldspar optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of both heated and sedimentary materials. The most recent of these is the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol, first suggested by Murray and Roberts (Radiation Measurements 29, 503-515, 1998). In this approach, each natural or regenerated dose OSL measurement is corrected for changes in sensitivity using the OSL response to a subsequent test dose (10-20% of D-e). If the sensitivity correction is adequate, then the corrected OSL response should be independent of prior dose and thermal/optical treatment, i.e. there should be no change in the sensitivity-corrected dose-response curve on remeasurement. Here we examine the interpretation of the sensitivity corrected growth curve as a function of dose, and the effect of changing measurement conditions (e.g. preheat temperature, size of lest dose, stimulation temperature) on the estimation of D-e. The dependence of the dose response on prior treatment is tested explicitly and the significance of thermal transfer discussed. It is concluded that a robust SAR protocol is now available for quartz, and that it is applicable to a wide range of heated and unheated materials. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.