Laboratory Documentation Best Practices

Good documentation makes it possible to know what a material is, where it came from and how it has been stored. This supports traceability and reproducibility over time. The notes below are general good-practice considerations for record-keeping in the laboratory and do not constitute usage guidance for any material.

Receipt and identity

On receiving a material, laboratories commonly record details such as the name, batch identifier, quantity and date received, together with the supplier reference. Capturing identity information at receipt makes it easier to match the material to its specification later.

Storage and handling

Recording where and how a material is stored, and noting when it is handled, helps build a clear history for each item. General storage considerations are covered in Peptide Storage Guidelines, and avoidable issues are discussed in Common Laboratory Storage Mistakes.

A batch identifier links a specific material to the information recorded about it. Keeping that identifier with your records allows stored material to be traced back to its specification. For how batch and specification fields are presented, see Understanding Research Material Specifications.

Documentation is most effective when each record can be tied to the specific item it describes. A batch identifier carried on both the vial label and the record provides that link, so that stored material can always be matched back to its history. Where this link is maintained, a record and a vial are two views of the same item rather than separate pieces of information.

Keeping that connection intact through storage and handling is what makes traceability practical. It allows a researcher to confirm, at any point, what a given vial is and how it has been kept, without relying on memory.

A record does not end at receipt. Each significant event in a material’s time in the laboratory is a trigger for documentation. Common documentation events include: receiving the material and checking it against the order; placing it into storage and noting the location and condition; removing it from storage for use; preparing any solutions or aliquots; and transferring the material to another researcher, location, or use. Noting each of these events at the time they happen builds a continuous history that can later be used to confirm what material was used, in what condition, and by whom.

Where material is transferred between individuals or locations, documentation of that transfer is particularly important for maintaining traceability. The formal aspects of material transfers and custody handoffs are covered in Chain of Custody in Research Environments.

Documentation works alongside the specification supplied for a material. Reading the two together gives a complete picture of identity and condition: the specification describes what the material is and how it was characterised; the laboratory records describe what has happened to it since receipt. For how specification fields are structured and what they contain, see Understanding Research Material Specifications. Our approach to identification and consistency is described on the Quality page, and the scope of supply is set out in our Research use statement.

The physical form of records, whether paper notebooks, electronic spreadsheets, or laboratory information management systems, is a practical decision for each laboratory. What matters is that the chosen form is used consistently, that records can be retrieved alongside the material they describe, and that entries can be corrected in a way that preserves the original. For detailed guidance on record format, correction procedures, retention periods, and backup practices, see Laboratory Record Keeping Best Practices.