Laboratory information management system (LIMS)

A laboratory information management system is a lab's system of record for tracking physical samples and the tests performed on them, from receipt or collection through processing, results, and final reporting, usually assigning each sample a unique identifier that follows it through every step.

A LIMS manages workflow, which tests run, in what order, by whom, stores structured results linked back to instruments and protocols, and often integrates directly with lab instruments to capture data automatically rather than by manual transcription. It differs from an electronic lab notebook, which is closer to a researcher's day-to-day narrative record of experiments and observations, a LIMS is organized around sample and workflow tracking rather than free-form documentation.

A LIMS matters in regulated settings, clinical, pharmaceutical, environmental testing, where chain-of-custody and data provenance must be auditable, and it matters for throughput in any high-volume lab, since it is what keeps thousands of samples from being tracked on paper or in spreadsheets. It is a core piece of practical research data management. Pitfalls include poor integration with lab instruments, which reintroduces the manual entry errors a LIMS is meant to eliminate, and workflows configured too rigidly, which can slow down research that does not fit the routine, repeatable pattern the system was built for.