Laboratory protocols and methods

Used primarily in the life sciences, protocols provide individual sets of instructions that allow scientists to recreate experiments in their own laboratory. These documents provide instructions for the design and implementation of experiments that include the safety bias, procedural equipment, statistical methods, reporting and troubleshooting standards for the experiment.

The following protocols bring together a large number of proven research methods:

Provides a search and retrieval interface to laboratory manuals considered to be the benchmark standard for scientific research methods in a number of different disciplines.

All techniques are indexed in PubMed and Scopus.

Cold Spring Harbor protocols is an interdisciplinary journal providing a definitive source of research methods in cell, developmental and molecular biology, genetics, bioinformatics, protein science, computational biology, immunology, neuroscience and imaging.
CSH protocols is a database of new and classic research techniques and is fully searchable by keyword and subject. It includes a searchable recipes section.

Springer protocols online is a database of online and searchable protocols in life sciences and biomedicine. The Protocols provide step-by-step "recipes," that can be executed in a controlled laboratory environment.

The Protocols are organized into 15 subject collections: Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, Cancer Research, Cell Biology, Genetics/Genomics, Imaging/Radiology, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, Molecular Medicine, Neuroscience, Pharmacology/Toxicology, Plant Sciences and Protein Science.

Journals

Methods in enzymology
Nature Protocols
Nature Methods
Protocol Exchange

Methods in Enzymology is a series of scientific publications focused primarily on research methods in biochemistry. Methods focuses on rapidly developing techniques in the experimental biological and medical sciences.

Each topical issue, organized by a guest editor who is an expert in the area covered, consists solely of invited quality articles by specialist authors. Issues are devoted to specific technical approaches with emphasis on clear detailed descriptions of protocols that allow them to be reproduced easily.

The background information provided enables researchers to understand the principles underlying the methods; other helpful sections include comparisons of alternative methods giving the advantages and disadvantages of particular methods, guidance on avoiding potential pitfalls, and suggestions for troubleshooting.

Nature Protocols is an online journal of laboratory protocols for bench researchers. Protocols are presented in a 'recipe' style providing step-by-step descriptions of procedures which users can take to the lab and immediately apply in their own research. Protocols on the site are fully searchable and organized into logical categories to be easily accessible to researchers.

The Nature Protocols are high quality, peer-reviewed procedures commissioned by the Nature Protocols editorial team. These protocols must have proven themselves in the laboratory, having been used to acquire data reported in published research papers.

Nature Protocols aims to publish the protocols being used to answer outstanding biological and biomedical science research questions, including methods grounded in physics and chemistry that have a practical application to the study of biological problems.

Nature Methods predominantly publishes primary research articles focused on novel methods and improvements to tried-and-tested techniques while Nature Protocols concentrates on proven protocols.

Nature Methods is a forum for the publication of novel methods and significant improvements to tried-and-tested basic research techniques in the life sciences. This monthly publication is aimed at a broad, interdisciplinary audience of academic and industry researchers actively involved in laboratory practice. It provides them with new tools to conduct their research and places a strong emphasis on the immediate practical relevance of the work presented.

The journal publishes primary research papers as well as overviews of recent technical and methodological developments. The journal is actively seeking primary methods papers of relevance to the biological and biomedical sciences, including methods grounded in chemistry that have a practical application to the study of biological problems.

The Protocol Exchange is an open resource where the community of scientists can pool their experimental know-how to help accelerate research.

Protocols within Protocol Exchange come from both academic and commercial lab groups. They are not styled, peer reviewed or copy edited, but shared live soon after uploading.

Video protocols

JOVE
Benchfly

Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) is a peer reviewed, PubMed indexed journal devoted to the publication of biological, medical, chemical and physical research in a video format.

UQ subscribes to the following sections:

General
Neuroscience
Immunology & Infection
Clinical & Translational Medicine
Bioengineering

Benchfly is a FREE video platform for sharing video tips, protocols, etc on common lab science practices. Includes videos on biology, chemistry, DNA/RNA, instruments and equipment, protein, proteomics and other useful resources.