Why we publish this, and who writes it

This site is an editorial resource on sample identification in the laboratory: what a label has to carry, label materials and barcodes, chain of custody records, parent and child identifiers, and how storage locations are mapped and audited.

Why this exists

Every result a laboratory produces is a statement about one particular sample. If the sample is not the one everybody thinks it is, nothing else about the work matters. Yet identification is often the most improvised part of a laboratory's routine: a marker pen, a nickname, a box that was always on a certain shelf. The questions that settle whether an identity can be trusted are always the same handful, and they are easier to explain once, properly and in public, than one conversation at a time.

So the site is written as a reference. The position behind it is a plain one: an identity is worth what can independently confirm it. "We are careful" cannot be checked by anybody. A unique identifier, a label scanned back after it was applied and an unbroken custody record can be.

What we publish, and what we do not

Everything here is descriptive: how identifiers are designed; which fields a label carries and why; label stock, adhesives and print methods for cold and wet conditions; linear and two-dimensional barcodes; custody records and tamper-evident seals; derived samples and lineage; storage hierarchies and inventory audits; and what to do when an identity is in doubt.

We publish no claims of any kind about any product, material or substance. We describe, recommend, compare and evaluate nothing that is sold anywhere, we give no usage guidance of any sort, and nothing here is professional advice.

Who it is written for

• Anyone setting up, or inheriting, a laboratory's labelling and storage routine
• People who keep material for long periods and need to find it again with certainty
• Anyone reviewing a custody record and wondering what a complete one looks like
• Students and new starters who were handed a freezer box and a marker pen and little else

The resource is intended for adult readers aged 21 and over.

Corrections

If something here is wrong, out of date, or reads as more certain than the evidence supports, tell us and we will correct it. A reference that is not maintained stops being a reference.

Published by

BioPerform
Editorial office, Alberta, Canada
editor@bioperforms.com