Smart online protocols - Smart protocols you can create & edit online (Jul/13/2011 )

A new site I've set up to manage and share protocols for life sciences at: http://lab.methodmint.com

Protocols are smart, with scheduling information, user-feedback, real-life timekeeping data, and a mobile app coming soon. It aims to provide a simple way to improve lab time management and skills.

Protocols are user-editable (like a wiki) so feel free to come help out.

Thanks

Martin Fitzpatrick on Wed Jul 13 15:26:24 2011 said:

thanks for sharing

nightingale on Thu Jul 14 19:51:27 2011 said:

Thanks nightingale. It's early days yet, but coming together slowly.

Adding a few protocols/day and a mobile iPhone/Android app coming soon. Hopefully someone will find a use for it!

All the best

most welcome, what about adding the reference, u refered to in the protocol u added ???
as other ppl may use it ...

nightingale on Fri Jul 15 09:57:01 2011 said:

Good point.... so far most are from my collection of lab books/etc. and I've been meaning to go find published examples of them, which I'll do today. I've been adding web links for recent additions (although they're not showing up on the site, will fix), but I'll also implement doi refs to papers.

Then, next up, photo & video steps.

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!

Martin Fitzpatrick on Fri Jul 15 14:35:18 2011 said:

This is now working and I'm working my way through referencing them where appropriate. Adding a doi ref to the protocol looks up the journal/article and gets all the relevant information automagically.

This is also now working - the photo bit at least. Now to take some embarrassing 'lab photos' and illustrate some of this stuff!

Thanks again for the suggestions - helps to focus the mind on what is important. Any more most welcome!

Looks like quite a neat site really, but I just had a look through some of the protocols and they need a lot of work to be usable.

For example, putting centrifuge speeds as values of rpm is meaningless to anyone else unless you at least record the centrifuge used. Much better to put values as rcf.

Also, had a quick look at the transformation protocol (for putting plasmid DNA into E.coli) and it too is lacking necessary information. For example the strain of bacteria used and the type of competent cells used. Also, writing things like SOC media or LB is fine if you already know what these mean, but it might be nice to include a reagents/materials page or something for each protocol, with the complete details of all reagents so those new to the technique or field can follow the protocol too.

Good luck with it though, good on you for setting it up

Hi leelee

Thanks for the feedback. You're quite right on things needing a tidy up - been buried in working on the workings of the site itself ( & implementing a mobile phone app ) but will dedicate some time to improving/tidying up the content.

Quite right about the rcf good spot. I'll change them over and work on providing an in-built converter for different centrifuge models.

At present the reagents are just a list of 'materials' but I'm working on turning them into a linked listing of actual 'things'. When referencing in the method it will automatically link through to a description page for each material - either to buy whole or with instructions of how to make them up from scratch from elsewhere on the site.

'Soon' it will be able to take these protocols/bits of protocols together and schedule them for a work plan - so say making up the materials/etc. before starting - but aware of waiting periods so if you have an hour waiting for a centrifuge it will schedule making up of solutions into that.

Thanks for the encouragement, it's much appreciated.

Just a quick update, we are now testing a iPhone/iPad Web App based off the same platform. See the links here (from an iPhone) for http://lab.methodmint.com?platform=webapp

Hey Martin,

 

First things first, Thank you very much for your time and idea to bring the protocols as an app!! Just wanted to let you know, that the site for some reason has been not opening. Niether does the app link.

 

Could you kindly look into it?

 

Thanks,

Purush