The LabLynx library

Free LIMS, ELN and lab management guides

LabLynx publishes free guides on choosing and justifying a LIMS or ELN, laboratory compliance, sample management, lab data security and getting ready for AI. They are written for lab managers, quality leads, IT and informatics staff, and scientists. Every guide comes from the LabLynx team, and the most-downloaded guides are listed first.

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Every guide, most downloaded first

  1. NewLIMS

    How to Build a Laboratory System That Gets Better as Your Lab Grows

    Find out whether your lab has outgrown its platform, its implementation or its process, and build a system that keeps fitting as you grow.

  2. NewLab Automation

    Where Did the Other 44 Hours Go? Finding and Reducing Laboratory Turnaround Time

    Find the hours your lab loses between sample receipt and final report, and match each fix to the delay it removes.

  3. NewLab Automation

    The Laboratory Handoff Problem

    Map every place lab work changes hands, see where errors and delays begin, and remove the handoffs you do not need first.

  4. ComplianceLIMS

    LIMS Selection Guide for ISO/IEC 17025 Laboratories

    Know which functions ISO/IEC 17025 calls for before you buy: requirements mapped to the standard's clauses, cost questions and a path from RFI to vendor.

  5. ComplianceLIMS

    Comprehensive Guide to Developing and Implementing a Cybersecurity Plan

    Write a cybersecurity plan in ten steps, from goals and risk analysis to review, with NIST SP 800-53 controls in plain words.

  6. LIMS

    Justifying LIMS Acquisition and Deployment within Your Organization

    Build a stronger case for a LIMS: tie it to your organization's goals, weigh the costs and benefits, win stakeholder buy-in and pitch a clear proposal.

  7. ELNLab AutomationLIMS

    The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Laboratory Software for Your Needs

    Match your lab to the right software: what a LIMS, an ELN and lab automation each do, which labs each suits, and the signs that point to each.

  8. ELN

    The Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) Buyer’s Guide

    Choose an electronic lab notebook with confidence: the seven features that matter, the adoption pitfalls to plan for, and how to judge your needs.

  9. ELN

    When is an Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) a Good Choice for Your Lab?

    Decide whether your lab needs an ELN, a LIMS or both, with the signs paper no longer keeps up and the type of ELN that fits your work.

  10. LIMS

    2025 Lab Savings: How the Right LIMS Drives Maximum Efficiency

    Ten ways to cut a lab's costs and work faster, from less rework and inventory waste to better staffing, lower compliance risk and lower IT overhead.

  11. ELN

    The Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) Guide for Material Testing Labs

    Standardize test records across shifts and pass accreditation audits, with ELN templates built on your ASTM and ISO test methods.

  12. ELN

    The Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) Guide for Commercial Testing Labs

    Meet client deadlines and pass client audits with ELN records that follow ALCOA and turn test data into clear, consistent client reports.

  13. LIMS

    Comprehensive Guide to Physician Office Laboratory Setup and Operation

    Know what it takes to start and run an in-office lab, from CLIA certificates and waived tests to data management, staffing and quality.

  14. LIMS

    Next-Generation Sequencing: A Brief Introduction

    Learn how next-generation sequencing works and what happens to its data, from quality checks and alignment to variants, RNA-seq and assembly.

  15. ELNLIMS

    Laboratory Informatics Buyer’s Guide for Medical Diagnostics and Research

    Choose an LIS or LIMS for your medical lab with confidence: the features to require by specialty, how pricing works, and how to run RFIs and demos.

  16. ELN

    The Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) Guide for Life Science Research Labs

    Keep life science research records reproducible and inspection-ready, from GLP and Part 11 needs to images, protocols and team buy-in.

  17. ELNLIMS

    Choosing and Implementing a Cloud-Based Service for Your Laboratory

    Choose a cloud provider with your eyes open: the security you share, five risks to plan for, HIPAA and GxP, and 18 questions to ask first.

  18. ComplianceLIMS

    HIPAA Compliance: An Introduction

    Know what HIPAA asks of your lab and staff: who must comply, what counts as PHI, when it may be shared and how to keep it safe.

  19. ELN

    The Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) Guide for Manufacturing Research Labs

    Carry R&D results to the production floor intact, with ELN records that are repeatable, searchable and ready for GMP and ISO 9001 audits.

  20. Lab Automation

    Software Development for Medical Devices Using Continuous Integration

    Keep medical device code built, tested and traced with every change, and let the CI environment hold your design history file.

  21. LIMS

    LIMS Selection Guide for Manufacturing Quality Control

    Choose informatics that fits your manufacturing QC lab, with the standards, features and vendor questions that matter and a blank requirements template.

  22. LIMS

    The Laboratories of Our Lives: Labs, Labs Everywhere!

    See where laboratories touch daily life: a short history of the lab, a framework for placing any lab, and profiles of labs in 20 industries.

  23. LIMS

    LIMS Selection Guide for Food Safety and Quality

    Choose a LIMS that fits your food or beverage lab: the standards it must support, the features beyond the basics, costs and a ready-made requirements template.

  24. ELN

    The Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) Guide for Academic Research Labs

    Keep your lab's research when students graduate: ELNs for student training, open science, authorship credit, and IRB and grant reporting.

  25. NewLab Automation

    The Laboratory Workflow Automation Ladder

    Find the automation level of each lab workflow, how high it should climb, and a 90-day first climb you can start next week.

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LabLynx has built laboratory information management software for more than 25 years.