How to set up an electronic lab notebook?

The demand for electronic lab notebooks (ELN) has grown substantially. Fortunately, the number of available apps on the market has also increased to more than 60. Unlike the general-purpose word processing (e.g. MS Word) and image editing (e.g. Adobe Photoshop) apps, however, it is important to note that each ELN app has its own set of unique features that meet specific demands. One factor that can determine the suitability of an ELN is your field of research. For example, researchers working in a chemistry lab may find a specific ELN suitable for their research that is not suitable for the field of cell biology. Other factors that can define the suitability of an ELN include:

• Lab budget (free vs paid software)
• The need to back up on the cloud (unlimited storage on the cloud)
• The need to share notes and files
• The requirement for on-site support and training
• The need for both offline and online access to your notes.
• FDA Part 11 compliance

The availability of a huge variety of ELNs on the market makes it more likely for researchers to find a suitable solution. However, due to time constraints, it is difficult to assess every single solution before settling on one. See here for quick tips on selecting the right ELN.

How to setup your digital notebook

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of choosing the right ELN from the outset. Whatever your final choice of ELN, we recommend following the steps below to set yourself up for success when transitioning from paper notebooks:

1. Think long term: Unlike paper notebooks, electronic notebooks can last as long as your research career. They also can follow you everywhere you go, because they will be on the cloud, allowing you to sync notes whenever you get a new computer or mobile device. So when setting up your notes in the first few weeks of transitioning from paper, it is a good idea to have an idea of how your notebook can be a return on investment not only in a few months but also in many years to come.
2. Ask about the provider’s future plans: Here is a secret about ELN providers: They are, or at least should be, looking for innovative ways to get more researchers to transition from paper and stick to digital notebooks. Drop an email to the provider and ask them about their future plans, are you going to use the latest technological advances to make laboratory note-taking as painless as possible.
3. Be creative: A great benefit of an ELN is that, although it may appear more rigid than paper at first, it is extremely flexible and forgiving in terms of layout and organization. This is because, unlike paper notebooks, ELNs utilize powerful keyword extraction and search functions. So it is almost always guaranteed that you can find your notes, no matter how old they become. This allows you to experiment with and adopt certain note-taking strategies. For example, you may prefer chronologically ordered notes or, alternatively, order notes based on projects or sub-projects.
4. Value sharing and collaboration: Do you want to substantially increase your chances of success in research? A good ELN app makes sharing and collaboration seamless. This is a huge benefit over traditional paper notebooks. Imagine you have moved on to a new lab, and a new postdoc in your former lab is following up on a side project that you were working on. The ability to share your valuable notes and collaborate will sure get your name on more papers. Not only that, an ELN that fosters sharing and collaboration is directly promoting better organized and more clear notes that can be passed between many generations of scientists and, perhaps, finally leading to a major discovery. It is nice to know that the origins of each note that led to that major discovery can be traced to its original author (you!).

Conclusion

Choose the right ELN, be creative, have fun, and let the ELN do all the heavy lifting for you. You can always rearrange electronic notes, and use the search function to find anything you need with just one click.