Laboratory protocol records

Identifies internal laboratory protocol records - laboratory protocols, lab notebooks, experiment logs, reagent preparation records and lab records - when the phrase sits with populated protocol/experiment record fields and experimental quantities. Research know-how rather than personal information.

Type

regex

Engine

boost_regex

Confidence

medium

Confidence justification

Medium: enforce tiers need a populated record field; 85 also needs an experimental quantity and bench evidence. Published protocols in journals and training material can still reach 75 when they carry version/approval fields, so this remains a low-risk business classifier.

Detection quality

Topic false positive

Jurisdictions

global

Regulations

Patents Act 1990 (Cth), Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)

Frameworks

ISO 27001

Data categories

intellectual-property, business

Scope

wide

Risk rating

5

Platform compatibility

Purview: Compatible, GCP DLP: Compatible, Macie: Compatible, Zscaler: Compatible, Palo Alto: Degraded, Netskope: Unsupported

Pattern

(?i)\b(?:laboratory\s+protocol|lab(?:oratory)?\s+notebook|experiment(?:al)?\s+log|reagent\s+preparation|lab\s+record|lab\s+procedure|standard\s+operating\s+procedure)\b

Corroborative evidence keywords

centrifuge, incubate, aliquot, buffer, PCR, supernatant

Proximity: 300 characters

Should match

• Lab notebook entry Experiment ID: EXP-2026-0917 Performed by: Casey Rourke Date performed: 16/09/2026 Lyse cells in 500 uL buffer, centrifuge at 12000 x g for 10 min, aliquot the supernatant and store at -80 C. — Populated notebook entry with record fields, quantities and bench evidence (85)
• Laboratory protocol LP-14 Protocol version: 3.2 Approved by: Dr Priya Ramanathan — Protocol header with version and approval fields only (75)
• Reagent preparation record - 10x TBE running buffer Batch no: RB-2026-118 Operator: T. Nakamura-Reid Date performed: 08/10/2026 Dissolve 108 mg Tris base and 55 mg boric acid per 10 mL, add 4 mL of 0.5 M EDTA, vortex until clear, autoclave and store at room temperature. — Reagent preparation record with batch number, operator, date, quantities and bench steps (85)

Should not match

• unrelated generic text without domain phrases — No relevant topic phrases present
• placeholder value 12345 — Random text should not match topic-specific regex
• student grant — Generic word pair from old broad template should not match
• Policy guidance: this procedure explains how laboratory protocol and lab notebook records are collected, stored and shared, who may access them and how long they are kept. Staff should read the privacy section before completing any form. It contains no details about any individual. — Policy/guidance text naming the topic without any populated record (65 discovery at most)
• Lab notebook page Experiment ID: ____________________ Performed by: ____________________ Date performed: ____________________ Signature: ____________ Date: __/__/____ — Blank form with unpopulated labelled fields (placeholder guard keeps it below 75)
• Training: this lab safety induction explains why every standard operating procedure must be read before using the centrifuge or autoclave. — News/training prose about the topic without a populated record (65 discovery at most)

Known false positives

• Common words and phrases related to laboratory protocol records appearing in policy documents, training materials, HR templates, or compliance guidelines without actual personal data. Mitigation: Require corroborative evidence keywords within the proximity window to confirm sensitive data context rather than general discussion.
• In English (as the primary international business language), similar terminology used in formal or administrative contexts (education, professional documentation) that does not constitute sensitive data collection. Mitigation: Layer with additional contextual signals such as structured identifiers, form fields, or database column headers to distinguish sensitive records from general references.
• High-frequency pattern matches in large document corpora due to broad regex anchors. Expected match rate is significantly higher than specific identifier patterns. Mitigation: Tune confidence thresholds for bulk scanning. Consider using this pattern primarily as a pre-filter with secondary validation.

References

• NHMRC - Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2018)