Define the document task
Start with the authorised custodian and the purpose of the inventory: finding records, reconciling identifiers or preparing a governed handover. Establish access permissions before opening or copying material. Use the institution’s existing approved system. A personal spreadsheet should not become a parallel donor register, and a web article cannot authorise collecting, transferring or using human tissue.
Keep identifiers stable
NCI’s 2026 fourth edition describes unique identifiers that do not disclose participant identity or location. Record the existing specimen identifier, parent or derived relationship where applicable, and the controlled location of supporting metadata. Preserve the link through the approved system rather than inventing a new code that breaks traceability. Never put names, dates of birth or personal health records into the downloadable example.
Separate consent from storage
Give the relevant consent or other authorised basis its own reference and review state. Give the applicable protocol and document revision separate fields. A tube label, freezer entry or complete inventory row does not establish permission for a proposed research use. Refer missing or conflicting records to the responsible governance team. Record unresolved rather than inferring permission from the age of a collection.
Reconcile before handing over
Compare the identifiers in the index with the controlled source records through the approved process. Record who checked the relationship and which discrepancy remains open. Share an index only through the institution’s authorised route. Preservation conditions, tube selection, handling and laboratory procedures belong to the applicable validated protocol; do not derive them from a photograph or a generic article.
Read the drawing as text
The fictional parent and derived records link to an identified protocol; a pending authorisation review remains separate.
Work through an example
A fictional parent specimen B-001 has derived record B-001-A. Both link to protocol P revision 3; a consent-scope review is still pending. Two documents refer to the same parent, so they are indexed under B-001 rather than counted as two specimens. The handover reports the unresolved review explicitly. No real donor, specimen or laboratory process is represented.
Illustrative example; figures, people and organisations in the worked record are fictional.
The example record
Identity
- Evidence
- B-001 → B-001-A
- Next question
- Existing controlled identifiers
Protocol
- Evidence
- P revision 3
- Next question
- Confirm applicable version
Authorisation
- Evidence
- Scope review pending
- Next question
- Governance team resolves
Handover
- Evidence
- One parent / two linked documents
- Next question
- Reconcile without donor details
Download blank worksheet (.csv) ↗Download worked example (.csv) ↗
Keep your own record
Use the result within its scope
A useful index reveals missing evidence without filling it with assumptions. Retain the controlled records, access restrictions and responsible contact; documentation completeness does not establish specimen quality or authorise a research use.