How to Organize Your Microscope Slides
Microscope slides are useful for many types of experiments, including identification of plants based on pollen, examining cells and learning about microscopic organisms. For slides that have permanent samples affixed to them, storage is important. Keeping slides organized, easily accessible and safe is a priority for students and professional researchers.
Fortunately, there are numerous ways to organize your microscope slides and keep them in good condition.
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Instructions
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Decide how you want to organize your slides. There are several ways you can use to keep your slides in order; placing them alphabetically by sample or grouping them by sample type are common.
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Use a slide box or a microscope slide holder that fits in a 3-ring binder to hold your slides. Place each individual slide into its slot.
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Label each slide with a sticker. Put the name of the specimen and the date it was created on the sticker.
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Label the slide holder with a sticker to denote which slides it contains for easy access.
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Keep slides in their holder on a shelf or in a drawer where they will not be jostled, dropped or broken.
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Tips & Warnings
Slides should be stored horizontally so that they do not slide out of position.
Do not stack slides on top of one another, as the lower slides can be damaged.
