Documentation of experiments is critical to ensure best practice in research and is essential to understand and judge data integrity. Detailed and structured documentation allows for researcher accountability as well as the traceability and reproducibility of data. Additionally, it can be used in the resolution of intellectual property issues. Historically, this had been performed by documentation in conventional paper laboratory notebooks (pLN). Lab notebooks (LN) are considered the primary recording space for research data and are used to document hypotheses, experiments, analyses and, finally, interpretation of the data. Originally, raw and primary data were recorded directly into the lab book and served as the basis for reporting and presenting the data to the scientific community (Fig. 1a), fulfilling the need for transparent and reproducible scientific work.
The situation has become much more complex with the entry of electronic tools into the lab environment. Most experimental data is now acquired digitally, and the overall amount and complexity of data have expanded significantly (Fig. 1b). Often, the data is acquired with a software application and processed with secondary tools, such as dedicated data analysis packages. This creates different databases, varying both in volume and the type of produced data. Additionally, there can be different levels of processed data, making it difficult to identify the unprocessed, or raw, data. The experimental data must also be archived in a way that it is structured, traceable and independent of the project or the data source. These critical points require new data management approaches as the conventional pLN is no longer an alternative option in today’s digital environment.
Current changes in the type, speed of accumulation and volume of data can be suitably addressed by use of an electronic laboratory notebook (eLN). An eLN that can be used to document some aspects of the processes is the first step towards improvement of data management (Fig. 1b). 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.
Although 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. The widespread use of electronic tools for acquiring, analysing and managing data renders traditional pLNs impractical in modern science. Nevertheless, the switch to eLN usage is gradual and will take time. Several groups documented and have published their experiences and discussed the biggest barriers for establishing the standardized use of eLNs. Kanza et al. carried out detailed analyses, based on surveys, focusing on potential obstacles to the application of eLNs in an academic laboratory setting (Kanza et al. 2017). According to their results, the major barriers are cost, ease of use and accessibility across devices. Certainly, these aspects seem to be valid at first glance and need to be considered carefully. A more detailed examination provides means to address these issues as progress has been made in the development of tailored solutions.
Table 1 Overview of advantages and disadvantages of paper and electronic lab notebooks
As mentioned, cost is often the most significant hurdle to overcome when adopting the use of an eLN. In this regard, pLNs have a clear advantage because they require close to no infrastructure. In contrast, there are multiple different eLN device options which vary widely, from freeware to complex solutions, which can have costs of up to thousands of euros per researcher. This is, however, evolving with the use of cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) products which are available for a monthly subscription. One of the major advantages of SaaS is that the software version will always be up-to-date. Today, many of these SaaS solutions are available as online tools which can also be used within a firewall to have maximum protection of the data. Most digital solutions, however, require the appropriate hardware and infrastructure to be set up and updated.
In contrast to eLNs, pLNs do not require IT support and are, therefore, immediately usable, do not crash and are intuitive to use. However, in the majority of cases, the data cannot be used directly but must be printed, and a general search cannot be performed in the traditional lab book once the scientist who created it leaves the lab. Thus, the primary disadvantages of paper notebooks are the inability to share information, link electronic data, retrieve the information and search with keywords.
Different types of LNs are summarized in Table 2. A pLN can be seen as the primary place for reporting research. Simple electronic tools such as word processors, or do-it-yourself (DIY) solutions (Dirnagl and Przesdzing 2017), provide this in electronic format. A DIY eLN is a structured organization of electronic data without dedicated software, using instead simple software and data organization tools, such as Windows Explorer, OneNote, text editors or word processors, to document and organize research data (see the last two sections of this chapter for tips on how to create a DIY eLN). In contrast, dedicated and systemic versions of eLNs provide functionality for workflows, standard data entry as well as search and visualization tools. The systemic eLNs provide additional connections to laboratory information management systems (LIMS), which have the capability to organize information in different aspects of daily lab work, for example, in the organization of chemicals, antibodies, plasmids, clones, cell lines and animals and in calendars to schedule usage of devices. Following the correct acquisition of very large datasets (e.g. imaging, next-generation sequencing, high-throughput screens), eLN should support their storage and accessibility, becoming a central platform to store, connect, edit and share the information.
Table 2 Overview of different levels of complexity of laboratory notebooks
The traditional pLN is still widely used in academic settings and can serve as a primary resource for lab work documentation. Simple versions of eLNs improve the data documentation and management, for example, in terms of searching, accessibility, creation of templates and sharing of information. However, with an increasing amount of work taking place in a complex digital laboratory environment and the associated challenges with regard to data management, eLNs that can connect, control, edit and share different data sources will be a vital research tool.