If your team is migrating from Labfolder to SciSure for Research, one of the first steps after migration is reviewing how you would like to organize your new workspace, permissions, inventory structure, and experiment documentation moving forward.
SciSure for Research combines experiment documentation, inventory management, protocols, and collaboration within one connected platform. This allows labs to manage research activities in a more centralized and traceable way while keeping experiments, materials, and procedures linked together.
For customers migrating from Labfolder, some structures, experiments, and inventory-related data may already exist after migration depending on the agreed migration scope. Many teams use the transition to SciSure as an opportunity to review and optimize how research activities should be organized and managed going forward.
This guide introduces the main setup areas typically reviewed after migration and links to additional documentation and training resources for each section.
Step 1: Group Configuration
Group configuration is the foundation of your SciSure workspace. A group acts as the secure environment where team members collaborate, share data, and manage permissions.
In Labfolder, group configuration was primarily designed to manage access to ELN content such as projects, folders, and entries, with permissions focused on experiment documentation and sharing within the ELN environment. In SciSure for Research, group configuration extends beyond ELN access control to cover multiple connected modules (such as ELN, inventory, and protocols), allowing centralized permission management across the entire research environment rather than only within experiment records.
During this step, administrators configure key settings such as:
- user roles and responsibilities
- group policies and security settings
- compliance-related configurations
- collaboration and sharing workflows
- access levels for different teams or departments
Group administrators can also enforce security features like two-step verification and configure policies required for compliant labs (for example, requiring witness signatures for experiments or protocols).
Many teams implement permission levels to clearly define access rights, ranging from full administrative access to read-only access for auditors or trainees.
Learn more and watch the setup videos
Step 2: Inventory Configuration
The Inventory module allows labs to manage and track their materials, samples, and supplies in a centralized system.
The Inventory module allows laboratories to organize and manage samples, materials, reagents, storage locations, and laboratory resources within a centralized system.
For customers migrating from Labfolder or Labregister, some inventory-related information will already be available after migration depending on the agreed migration scope:
- sample types and samples may already exist in SciSure
- inventory-related references inside experiments may appear as text references within migrated experiments
This stage typically includes reviewing:
- Storage locations and location tree
- Freezers, shelves, boxes, and containers
- Sample types and samples
- Inventory naming conventions
- Inventory permissions and responsibilities
- Links between inventory items and experiments
SciSure allows inventory to be connected directly to experiments within the ELN, helping teams maintain stronger traceability between materials, samples, and experimental records.
Some inventory-related structures and relationships may require additional review or manual configuration after migration depending on the migration scope and existing Labregister setup. Many organizations therefore use this stage to further optimize how inventory should be structured and maintained moving forward.
Learn how to configure inventory and watch the training videos
Step 3: Journal Configuration
The Journal module (ELN) is where experiments are documented and organized.
Labfolder is centered on ELN functionality, using a structured hierarchy (such as folders, projects, and entries) to organize experimental documentation. SciSure for Research also provides ELN functionality (Journal), but places it within a broader system structure where experiments are not isolated documents, they can be directly connected to inventory items and protocols, enabling more integrated research workflows.
SciSure uses a hierarchical structure for organizing research records:
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Group
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Project – workspace for research projects or teams
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Study – a subfolder used to organize related experiments
- Experiment – the actual experimental record or report
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Study – a subfolder used to organize related experiments
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Project – workspace for research projects or teams
This structure helps teams keep research organized and searchable. Many labs also adopt naming conventions for projects, studies, and experiments to ensure consistency and easier retrieval of data.
During migration:
- Labfolder projects become Studies
- Labfolder entries become Experiments
- parent folder information may appear as labels rather than full folder hierarchies
This stage commonly includes:
- reviewing project and study organization
- defining naming conventions for Projects, Studies, and Experiments
- aligning documentation standards across departments or teams
- standardizing how future projects and experiments should be organized
- communicating organizational standards and structures to users
Establishing clear naming conventions early can help improve consistency, searchability, reporting, onboarding, and long-term organization across the research environment.
Learn more about configuring the Journal and watch the tutorial videos
Step 4: Setting Up Protocols
Protocols allow labs to standardize experimental procedures and ensure consistent documentation across the team.
In Labfolder, protocols are typically created and stored within the ELN as part of entries or templates, depending on how the lab structures its documentation. In SciSure for Research, protocols are managed as reusable, system-level components that can be directly applied across experiments and connected to other modules, making them easier to standardize and reuse across different research contexts.
By configuring protocols in SciSure, labs can:
- Create reusable experimental procedures
- Standardize laboratory workflows
- Ensure consistent documentation across experiments
- Improve reproducibility and compliance
Protocols can be shared with team members and reused as templates when documenting experiments.
Learn how to set up protocols and view the tutorial videos
Recommended Setup Order
For teams migrating from Labfolder, the recommended setup workflow is:
- Configure group settings, users, and permissions
- Set up inventory structure and storage locations
- Review Journal structure and naming conventions
- Set up protocols and workflow standards
This sequence ensures that your workspace structure, permissions, and resources are properly established before teams begin documenting experiments.