The value of a biospecimen or biological resources depends on two factors: the intrinsic quality of the sample and the level of accurate data annotation. Recently, the relevance of pre-analytical variables during processing of biomaterials has been comprehended and scientists have become aware of the importance of this finding, launching a new field of research: ''biospecimen science''. 1 Now, it is assumed and often cited at conferences that due to the ignorance of pre-analytical variables in the earlier years of biobanking, a significant number of samples existing today are of inadequate quality and do not meet the needs of the modern molecular era. 2,3 Thus, research results based on biospecimens that have been sub-optimally processed might be error-prone or of a sub-optimal quality. This lack of well-annotated process chain history is ad-dressed by the Sample PRE-analytical Code (SPREC), 4–6 as it al-lows the recording of pre-analytical variables across the process chain, from withdrawal of biomaterial to the storage of samples. The SPREC is gaining more importance throughout the biobank-ing community as it allows rapid and easy comparability of the quality of biological samples and improves interoperability of col-laborating institutions by setting a standard. This may be espe-cially relevant for emerging countries lacking one or more parts of research infrastructures (i.e., lack of reliable power grid, severe limitations in transport capacity, lack of trained personnel), where the SPREC would represent a valuable tool for researchers to become knowledgeable about sample quality and processing in-formation. The aim of this column is to introduce, through guiding questions, the basic concept of the SPREC. The benefits of the code and how to use and design pre-analytical codes are ex-plained using tools that have been designed for its implementation. How the code may be applied in different types of biobanks and biorepositories as well as the future development of the SPREC will be highlighted. T he idea of ''quality'' with respect to biospecimens cannot be uniquely defined since the processing condi-tions that optimize a specimen for use may vary according to the analyses to be carried out. Managing samples in order to make them suitable for specific purposes has now become a research goal that can be pursued only if these conditions are carefully documented. The SPREC (Standard PRE-analytical Code) is a ''speci-men barcode'' or ''pre-analytical barcode,'' providing details about pre-analytical sample processing, in a standard-ized format. It is a 7-element-long code, where each ele-ment corresponds to a critical pre-analytical variable. The SPREC can be applied to primary samples and their simple derivatives. The clinical SPREC for fluid samples contains information on the type of the sample, the type of primary container, the conditions (delay and temperature) between collection and processing, the centrifugation conditions, the second centri-fugation conditions, the conditions (delay and temperature) between centrifugation and storage, and the long-term stor-age conditions. If the pre-analytical option used is unknown or inconstant the letter ''X'' is used. If the pre-analytical op-tion used is known but does not correspond to any of the standard options, the letter ''Z'' is used. The SPREC for solid samples contains information on the type of the sample, the type of sampling, the warm ischemia time, the cold ischemia time, the fixation type, the fixation time, and the long-term storage conditions. Therefore, the SPREC can help researchers and biobankers to identify and communicate the most important pre-ana-lytical variables associated with each sample.