September 5, 2025
About LabKey
Maintaining data integrity is one of the most important responsibilities of any biobank. The International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) emphasizes that accurate, consistent, and transparent data is essential for ensuring that biospecimens remain useful, trustworthy, and compliant with global standards.
When data integrity breaks down—whether through mismatched records, missing values, or deviations handled outside of formal systems—the reliability of a biobank can quickly be called into question. To address this, ISBER best practices recommend adopting systems and workflows that reduce discrepancies, enable interoperability, and ensure traceability at every step.
In this post, we’ll explore biobank data integrity best practices and how modern digital tools support them.
Contents: Video | Best Practices | Practical Benefits | How LabKey Helps | Conclusion
Watch Supporting ISBER Best Practices for Data Integrity
Best Practices for Maintaining Biobank Data Integrity
Reconciling Data for Accuracy
One of the first pillars of data integrity is reconciliation- the ability to quickly identify and resolve discrepancies between expected and recorded values. In a biobank setting, this might mean verifying that sample processing times align with defined study windows, or that recorded storage locations match physical inventory.
Best practice is to design workflows that make these discrepancies visible rather than hidden. For example, conditional formatting or flagged fields can highlight data that falls outside of expected ranges, prompting timely review.
Interoperability and Data Portability
Biobanks rarely operate in isolation. Data is often shared with consortia, collaborators, or external systems. That’s why ISBER stresses data portability and interoperability as central to integrity.
Key practices include:
- Standardized Field Naming – Aligning field names with industry or consortium conventions to reduce confusion when data is shared.
- Easy Import and Export – Ensuring data can be pulled from and pushed into systems without friction.
- API Support – Allowing programmatic access for automated transfers or data integrations with data lakes, dashboards, and analytics tools.
These capabilities make data consistent, usable, and ready for collaboration without risking errors in translation.
Validation and Error Prevention
Preventing errors at the point of data entry is another cornerstone of biobank data integrity best practices. Modern sample management systems can enforce rules such as:
- Controlled vocabularies – Restricting selections to predefined options (e.g., tube types).
- Range validation – Requiring values like dates to fall within logical windows.
- Calculated fields – Automating values such as processing windows to minimize manual entry.
By building validation into the system, biobanks can stop errors before they compromise sample records.
Documenting Deviations Transparently
Even with the best systems, deviations and non-standard events will occur. The key to maintaining integrity is documenting these events in a centralized, traceable way.
Some biobanks use an electronic lab notebook (ELN) integrated with their sample management system to capture deviations, attach supporting details, and apply 21 CFR Part 11–compliant signatures. This ensures that all exceptions are traceable, reviewable, and stored alongside the data they affect.
Practical Benefits for Biobanks
Following ISBER-aligned best practices for data integrity does more than check a compliance box. It also makes biobanking operations more efficient:
How ISBER-aligned practices improve daily work:
- Faster discrepancy closure with flags, workflows, and audit trails
- Fewer data entry errors thanks to validations and controlled terms
- Audit-ready traceability that reduces prep time
- Smooth data exchange with collaborators and systems
- More reliable specimens and fewer delays in research
How LabKey Supports Biobank Data Integrity
LabKey provides a suite of tools for biobanks designed to put these best practices into action:
- Validation Rules & Controlled Vocabularies – Prevent errors before they enter the system.
- Conditional Formatting & Calculated Fields – Highlight and automate critical data checks.
- Electronic Lab Notebook – Centralize deviation tracking with signatures and reviews.
- Interoperability Tools – Enable smooth data sharing through export formats, APIs, and integrations.
By embedding these features directly into sample management workflows, LabKey helps biobanks ensure data integrity across the lifecycle of every specimen.
Conclusion
Biobank data integrity best practices are essential for ensuring biospecimens remain useful, reliable, and compliant with ISBER standards. From reconciliation and validation to interoperability and deviation documentation, these practices safeguard both scientific quality and operational trust.
With built-in tools for validation, auditing, interoperability, and deviation tracking, LabKey makes it easier for biobanks to achieve data integrity at scale—ensuring that every specimen record is accurate, traceable, and ready to support critical research.
Learn more about how LabKey supports biobank data integrity best practices and helps labs strengthen their compliance and collaboration.
