diff --git a/.github/copilot-instructions.md b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
index 4f377582a..6cd300087 100644
--- a/.github/copilot-instructions.md
+++ b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
@@ -10,6 +10,24 @@
 - **Key Dependencies**: runjags, rjags, JAGS 4.3.1, serocalculator, ggmcmc, dplyr, ggplot2
 - **Lifecycle**: Experimental (under active development)
 
+## Lab-Wide Guidance
+
+**Follow the guidance in the [UCD-SeRG Lab Manual](https://ucd-serg.github.io/lab-manual/)**, which provides comprehensive best practices for:
+- Culture and conduct
+- Communication
+- Reproducibility
+- Code repositories and version control
+- Coding practices and style
+- Working with big data
+- Quarto and documentation
+- GitHub workflows
+- Reproducible environments
+- Code and data publication
+- AI tools usage
+- And more
+
+If the web version is inaccessible, refer to the [source files on GitHub](https://github.com/UCD-SERG/lab-manual) for easier reading.
+
 ## Critical Setup Requirements
 
 ### Copilot Setup Workflow (Automatic Environment Configuration)
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index f76de45ff..75f93cb62 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
   Workspace sessions much faster.
 * Reorganized pkgdown documentation with new "Getting Started" guide demonstrating main API workflow, organized articles into "Get started" and "Developer Notes" sections (#73).
 * Added `.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml` GitHub Actions workflow to automate environment setup for GitHub Copilot coding agent, preinstalling R, JAGS, and all dependencies.
+* Added reference to UCD-SeRG Lab Manual in copilot-instructions for lab-wide best practices guidance.
 
 * Consolidated OS-specific snapshot variants: removed redundant Linux and Windows
   snapshot directories (which were identical), keeping only base snapshots and