What Read Type Do I Choose?

There are two established modes of reads, single reads and paired reads.

Single Reads

The instrument reads from one end of a fragment to the other end. Single read runs can be more economical and are sufficient for less complex applications, like small RNA sequencing, ChIP-Seq, or differential expression analysis.

Paired Reads

The instrument reads from one end of a fragment to the other end, and then starts a second round of reading from the opposite end, resulting in a bidirectional sequence of a DNA molecule. Paired reads can attenuate many systematic, context-dependent sequencing errors, making it a good choice for de novo applications, as well as providing improved confidence in areas such as variant detection. Paired reads also help collecting more information by sequencing from each end if the insert is longer than the length of each read.

For more information, see the G4 Best Practices and Quality Control Guide, reach out to your Field Application Scientist, or contact Customer Care.

October 2023