Laboratory rotation

{{Orphan|date=September 2018}}

Laboratory rotations are typically a part of first year graduate school (Ph.D.-oriented) in American universities, especially in the research-oriented areas like biology and chemistry where an incoming student is expected to work in 4 to 6 different laboratories (each is called a "rotation") for durations of about 6 to 8 weeks, before making a final decision regarding which group he or she wishes to join.{{cite book

|title=At the bench: a laboratory navigator

|last=Barker

|first=Kathy

|authorlink=Kathy Barker

|year=2005

|publisher=CSHL Press

|isbn=0-87969-708-3

|page=6

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9SVA-Ka4uIAC&pg=PA6 }}

Laboratory rotations are uncommon in the British university system, where a Ph.D. candidate is accepted into a laboratory soon after joining, and that is partly responsible for shorter duration needed for graduating.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}}