sampletype

SampleType is a field used in data collection and laboratory records to categorize the kind of material that is being analyzed. It serves as metadata that supports grouping, filtering, and comparison of samples across experiments, studies, and datasets.

In biological research, sampleType might indicate blood, tissue, urine, saliva, or cell culture. In environmental science, it can denote water, soil, sediment, or air. In chemistry or materials science, it may refer to reagents, standards, or solid, liquid, or gas matrices. In clinical workflows, it helps distinguish patient-derived samples from controls or reference materials.

Typical values are strings or codes defined by a controlled vocabulary or ontology. Examples include "blood", "tissue", "urine", "water", "soil", "reagent", "control", "blank". When possible, organizations use standardized terms to enable interoperability and data integration.

Because sampleType influences storage conditions, handling procedures, analytic methods, and data interpretation, it is an important part of sample provenance and laboratory information management systems (LIMS). It is often linked with sampleID, specimenType, matrix, and collection method.

Best practices include documenting the exact definition used for each term, using a controlled vocabulary, and ensuring consistency across datasets. Some systems also include synonyms or mappings to ontologies to support search and aggregation.