1. Preserve the authoritative source before interpreting it
Retain the authorized reader export unchanged with its filename, type, byte identity, source context, import time, and reader profile. Analysis starts from those identified bytes rather than a manually cleaned copy whose changes cannot be reconstructed.
Reader files may contain metadata, multiple rectangular blocks, headers, or derived instrument values. Select and retain the intended measurement region explicitly; reject an absent or ambiguous region instead of silently choosing the first numeric block.
2. Turn the selected grid into named well records
Create one analytical record per measured well and preserve its row and column. Assign sample identity, role, replicate, dilution level, and initial inclusion state through a visual map or validated template that writes the same structured data.
Unmapped and unexpected wells remain visible. Validate required reference and control roles, duplicate assignments, incomplete dilution series, invalid plate positions, and response count before the analysis can lock.
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| source and well | Trace the value to identified bytes and physical position |
| sample and role | Identify reference, test, standard, control, or unknown |
| replicate and dilution | Reconstruct the experimental design |
| raw response | Preserve the instrument measurement |
| concentration and unit | Make dilution calculations explicit |
| included and reason | Keep exclusions reviewable |
3. Keep every derived value beside its inputs
Calculate concentration from the approved initial concentration, dilution design, preparation factors, and unit. Apply only defined blank correction, normalization, or replicate summarization, while retaining every raw component and formula.
The long-form record should connect physical well, raw response, derived response, concentration, sample, and model input. That chain is what lets a reviewer reproduce a plotted point.
4. Review controls, spatial behavior, and exclusions
Inspect control outcomes, replicate variation, missingness, and row, column, edge, timing, or dispense patterns before fitting. Position-aware evidence can reveal a process problem that disappears in a curve-only plot.
A pattern is diagnostic evidence, not an automatic exclusion. Preserve the original value, well, reason, actor, time, and downstream effect for every exclusion; do not delete or overwrite the source observation.
5. Carry the retained records through fit and report
Apply the approved model, restrictions, weighting, diagnostics, and suitability rules to the included records. Connect every parameter, plotted point, criterion, calculated result, and warning back to the retained well records and analysis configuration.
The finished report should identify source and configuration fingerprints, mappings and derivations, exclusions, model version, results, suitability outcomes, software release, and review context. The detailed workflow guide executes these steps.
Limits and current input support
Provenarium accepts supported bounded UTF-8 CSV, TSV, and TXT reader exports, plus curated static XLSX (Excel) workbooks with cached formula results. It does not execute workbook formulas or macros, read legacy XLS files, or acquire data directly from instruments. Proprietary and instrument-native sources require a controlled conversion to a supported input.
A reader profile is supported only after representative exports and failure cases establish its measurement-region rules. A generic rectangular shape is not enough evidence that a file contains the intended plate.
Frequently asked questions
Should the original spreadsheet be modified before import?
Prefer a documented reader profile or mapping step that retains the source file unchanged. Manual cleanup can be practical, but it should not erase how the analytical table was derived.
Can one importer support every plate reader?
Instrument and laboratory exports vary. Use named, tested import profiles for the formats your laboratory actually receives, and verify each profile against representative exports. Universal compatibility should not be assumed.