| Votes | By | Price | Discipline | Year Launched |
| SelectScience | FREE | Interdisciplinary |
SelectScience is dedicated to helping scientists make informed decisions about laboratory equipment and technologies. Founded in 1998, it has evolved into one of the most influential peer-review and product-comparison hubs for the lab community, combining user-generated reviews, expert interviews, application notes, and industry news.
What SelectScience Does
SelectScience serves as a centralized information ecosystem for lab technologies through four core functions:
1. Independent Product Reviews
The centerpiece of SelectScience is its vast catalog of scientist-written reviews covering a broad range of products:
- Instruments (chromatography, spectroscopy, sequencing, imaging)
- Consumables
- Software and informatics platforms
- Clinical diagnostics systems
- Automation and robotics
These reviews are widely used by procurement teams and lab managers when evaluating new instruments or vendor options, functioning as an industry-specific version of tech review sites.
2. Technology News & Scientific Insights
SelectScience regularly publishes:
- Industry news and product launches
- Interviews with leading scientists and technologists
- Application case studies
- Best practices and technical guides
This content helps labs stay updated on rapidly evolving fields like genomics, cell biology, clinical diagnostics, chem/analytical instrumentation, and laboratory automation.
3. Virtual Events and Webinars
SelectScience hosts webinars, online conferences, and panel discussions featuring experts and vendors. Topics range from:
- New instrument technologies
- Quality and compliance in labs
- Troubleshooting experimental workflows
- Advances in clinical diagnostics
These events function as continuous professional development resources for scientists.
4. Vendor Engagement and Product Showcasing
Instrument manufacturers and reagent suppliers use SelectScience to:
- Highlight new technologies
- Share application notes
- Host webinars
- Gather customer feedback
For vendors, the platform acts as a channel to engage a global scientific audience, for users, it becomes an aggregated source of vetted product information.
Strengths
Scientist-Driven Reviews
The reviews come directly from users—lab scientists, technicians, or facility managers—providing grounded insights into instrument performance, reliability, and vendor support.
Breadth of Categories
SelectScience covers everything from life-science research to analytical chemistry and clinical diagnostics, making it broadly relevant across disciplines.
Trusted Source for Procurement
Many labs use SelectScience reviews during early instrument-selection phases because the platform aggregates both opinions and expert commentary in one place.
Useful for Keeping Up With Launches
Its news and webinar ecosystem provides a steady flow of industry updates.
Limitations
Vendor Influence
Although reviews are user-generated, vendors often sponsor pages or content, so users must apply critical judgment when reading promotional material.
Not a Replacement for Technical Validation
Reviews offer user experiences—but they don’t substitute for internal lab testing, pilot runs, or QA evaluations for critical workflows.
Varied Review Depth
Some reviews are thorough, others are very short or nonspecific, depending on the reviewer.