Nowadays, the requirement to define adequate standards and to identify and validate general guidelines for scientific activity is becoming increasingly apparent also in non-regulated scientific research. Guidelines are fundamental tools to provide valid indications for proper conduct in a research laboratory, the correct use of equipment and procedures, as well as for aligning and standardizing the procedures used in different scientific contexts. The identification, dissemination and application of common guidelines can improve significantly the reproducibility of the scientific results and the exchange of materials and data in the context of scientific consortia, comprising also industrial partners and meta-analysis projects. A Quality and Project Management OpenLab research network was formed in 2012 to develop and apply Total Quality Management models to Life Sciences research laboratories. One of the main tasks of the network has been the definition of a model for the drafting of guidelines, firmly based on quality principles and documentation management. The outcome is an operational flow describing all the phases of the process, which has been validated by four different drafting groups through the production of 13 guidelines ranging from research activity to equipment and facility management. Different institutes of the National Research Council are currently following these guidelines; some of them have also been used to define the procedures included in a certified Quality Management System for a research laboratory. Our experience shows that the model for guidelines we have developed makes drafting guidelines easier and more immediate, and significantly, it is applicable to different scientific contexts and disciplines, including both non-regulated research and technology transfer-oriented research, and also the Quality Management System of a scientific laboratory.
