Electronic Lab Notebooks
An electronic lab notebook is a digital tool use by professionals in laboratories to record and manage experimental data, research notes, protocols and other relevant information related to their work, i.e., primarily metadata. ELNs are the digital equivalents of traditional paper lab notebooks that offer additional functionalities.
Why are ELNs important?
- Provide secure documentation of research. ELNs provide a secure platform to document and manage experimental data, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality.
- Improve compliance. ELNs help researchers adhere to data management standards by providing structured templates, version control and audit trails.
- Facilitate collaboration and sharing. ELNs enable real-time access to shared data and workflows.
- Improve efficiency. ELNs streamline data entry and retrieval process reducing the time required for manual record keeping and potential errors.
ELNs make research data FAIR
Findable
ELNs enhance the findability of specific datasets by providing structured metadata, keyword tags and search functionalities.
Accessible
ELNs provide centralized, cloud-based platforms for easy access from anywhere to authorized users, promoting transparency and collaboration.
Interoperable
ELNs integrate with other software tools and data repositories, thus enabling data exchange across multiple systems and platforms.
Reusable
ELNs promote data reproducibility and reuse by capturing detailed experimental protocols and metadata.
Enhancing Research Data Management with Labfolder at the University of Würzburg
As research data management becomes increasingly critical, funding institutions are emphasizing the adoption of Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs) as part of comprehensive data management plans. Recognizing this need, Labfolder has emerged as the recommended ELN solution for researchers at the University of Würzburg. The Faculty of Medicine facilitates the implementation of Labfolder for research groups led by faculty members. To learn more about acquiring a Labfolder license, please visit this link. Additionally, other institutes and facilities within the University of Würzburg can easily procure licenses through the Information Technology Centre dedicated website.
Alternative ELNs
While Labfolder remains the recommended ELN solution, researchers at the University of Würzburg have access to other options tailored to specific needs and disciplines.
- eLabFTW is an open-source ELN offering flexibility across various disciplines, widely used in the natural sciences. Members of the University of Würzburg can access the data center's eLabFTW server using their JMU account. Additionally, comprehensive documentation and support resources are available, including user guides and a dedicated GitHub repository for developers.
For more information, please visit the Information Technology Centre dedicated website.
