Improve your pipetting performance with the following Good Pipetting Practice techniques. For optimal pipette performance, check out our GPP pipette maintenance videos.

You can evaluate your pipette's performance using an easy, gravimetric analysis called Quick Check. Taking a few minutes to assess whether or not your pipettes are performing within tolerances is an excellent way to assure data integrity and reduce your overall risk.

Pipetting with an air-displacement pipette is a five step process that is often referred to as "forward pipetting."  In this short video, we demonstrate the five distinct steps of pipetting and how to do them correctly.

When setting the micrometer on a pipette, always "dial down" to the desired volume. By doing so, you ensure better accuracy by reducing the effects of mechanical backlash or slippage within the micrometer's gears.

Pre-rinsing is a fast, easy way to increase accuracy by up to 0.2%. Why? It helps neutralize the capillary effect in micro-volume pipettes, and for larger volume tips, equalizes the temperature of the air inside the tip with the temperature of the sample.

Maintaining consistency during aspiration can improve accuracy by up to 5%. To ensure that you are achieving the highest accuracy, use consistent pipetting rhythm from sample to sample as shown here.

Immersing the tip to the correct depth will improve your accuracy by up to 5%. Immersing the tip too deeply can cause too much liquid to be aspirated and create bubbles. Conversely, positioning the tip too close to the surface can aspirate air.

The angle you hold the pipette can also affect accuracy. By keeping the angle within 20 degrees of vertical when aspirating or dispensing, you can improve your accuracy by up to 2.5%.

Improve your pipetting accuracy by up to 1% with good dispensing technique. For the highest consistency, touch the vessel wall with the tip while dispensing. Then, touch off by sliding the tip up the wall to remove any liquid clinging to the orifice.

Watch this video for two other dispensing techniques that also work well with aqueous liquids.