Several groups documented and have published their experiences and discussed the biggest barriers for establishing the standardized use of eLNs. Nevertheless, the switch to eLN usage is gradual and will take time. The widespread use of electronic tools for acquiring, analysing and managing data renders traditional pLNs impractical in modern science. Ultimately, eLNs will become a central tool for data storage and connection and will lead to improvements in transparency and communication between scientists, as it will be discussed in the last two sections of this chapter.Īlthough both paper and electronic LNs have advantages and disadvantages (Table 1), ultimately the overall switch of researchers from the use of pLNs to eLNs is inevitable. An eLN that can be used to document some aspects of the processes is the first step towards improvement of data management (Fig. These critical points require new data management approaches as the conventional pLN is no longer an alternative option in today’s digital environment.Ĭurrent changes in the type, speed of accumulation and volume of data can be suitably addressed by use of an electronic laboratory notebook (eLN). The experimental data must also be archived in a way that it is structured, traceable and independent of the project or the data source. Additionally, there can be different levels of processed data, making it difficult to identify the unprocessed, or raw, data. This creates different databases, varying both in volume and the type of produced data. Often, the data is acquired with a software application and processed with secondary tools, such as dedicated data analysis packages. Most experimental data is now acquired digitally, and the overall amount and complexity of data have expanded significantly (Fig. The situation has become much more complex with the entry of electronic tools into the lab environment. Overall, the chapter highlights the central role of eLNs in supporting the documentation and reproducibility of experiments. It provides guidance on adopting an eLN and gives an example on how to set up unique Study-IDs in labs in order to maintain and enhance best practices. This chapter gives a general overview of eLNs in the scientific environment with a focus on the advantages of supporting quality and transparency of the research. With this in mind, electronic LNs (eLN) were introduced to make documentation of experiments more straightforward, with the development of enhanced functionality leading gradually to their more widespread use. Transparency and integrity have to be ensured and must be reflected in documentation within LNs. One of the biggest hurdles is the management of data on different devices with a substantial amount of metadata. The use of electronic tools provides many new possibilities, as well as challenges, particularly with respect to documentation and data quality. Nowadays, almost all data acquisition, analysis, presentation and archiving are done with electronic tools. Traditionally, the paper lab notebook (pLN) has been employed for documentation of experimental procedures, but over the course of the last decades, the introduction of electronic tools has changed the research landscape and the way that work is performed. Documentation of experiments is essential for best research practice and ensures scientific transparency and data integrity.
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