Virtually every lab that has ever existed has incorporated the use of what's called a laboratory information management system. The common abbreviation for this kind of thing is LIMS, which is helpful to know for anyone going into a laboratory setting for the first time and encountering this acronym. There are also other common names for the same type of system, such as LIS for laboratory information system, as well as LMS for laboratory management system.

It is out of necessity that every lab that hopes to perform serious scientific research is using a system like this nowadays. Facilities like these simply wouldn't be able to function without one, due to the fact that modern labs are now running through huge amounts of information every single day. There are many functions of these types of systems that serve to mainly make the tasks that scientists carry out easier and more convenient, but in other ways, they raise the capabilities of the research facility.

One of the ways that an information system like this is extremely helpful is by keeping track of all the workflow that goes on in the facility. This is essential to fully understand the results of a research project, and it can be the difference between having a successful experiment and having compromised results. Knowing what happened and when is a big help.

When information is put in manually, there is so much more room for error than when it is put in automatically. Although some people are very meticulous and extremely careful, there is just so much that can go wrong when records are kept this way. All it takes is for a number or decimal point to be put in the wrong place, or for a file to be misplaced, for disaster to occur, and that's why an automated method is best.

Specialty labs usually have specialty systems to suit their particular needs. This helps to get things done in an efficient way. These types of labs often have a specific way that data needs to be entered.

Information systems have changed a lot over the years. Mainly, they have become much more advanced. This is both due to the help of science and due to the advancing needs of scientists.

The very first laboratory systems for tracking information were basically just sample trackers. This may seem like a very basic purpose when compared to how they're used today, but this was an essential tool for scientists everywhere. It's amazing to think of how much these tools can do for us now.

There can be no doubting that people come in many different varieties, and the same goes for scientists, scientific research facilities, and even the different branches of science itself. As such, many different scientists don't exactly agree on what makes a laboratory information system. There are a number of slightly different definitions, so if a person is about to start working in a new lab, a helpful thing to do is learn exactly what the scientists in this lab mean when they say LIS, LMS, LIMS, or whatever other acronyms they're using to mean the information system of the laboratory.