Electronic Laboratory Notebooks
Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELN) are software applications that enable the electronic recording and management of research data and associated metadata. Ideally, they support the entire research process, from planning and implementation to the evaluation of the experiments. In rare cases, the software might even manage or simplify the publication and archiving of the research data. Electronic laboratory notebooks are intended to replace classic laboratory notebooks and help to make data easier to find and access and to facilitate sharing the results with others. Since today a large part of the data in research is collected in digital form, the use of ELNs avoids unnecessary media breaks.
On this page you will find general information on the subject of electronic laboratory notebooks, as well as product lists and examples of applications already being used at Thuringian research institutions.
ELN for Researchers in Thuringia
elabftw.hs-itz.de
The IT Center of Thuringian Universities (HS-ITZ) operates a central instance of the electronic laboratory notebook eLabFTW, which is available to all researchers at Thuringian universities. Access the service via elabftw.hs-itz.de using the login details of the respective Thuringian university. Joint support is provided in cooperation with the TKFDM via the HS-ITZ service desk*. There the creation of a new team can be requested, which is necessary for the productive use of the software within a working group. Please familiarize yourself with the service description and the usage instructions before using the service. Subscribe to the elabFTW Thüringen mailing list to get informed about events related to eLabFTW and elabftw.hs-itz.de. The following additional materials regarding the Thuringia-wide instance exist:
- Learning through Experience: Bootstrapping an Electronic Lab Notebook as a central IT-Service for Thuringian universities - Challenges and Lessons Learned (Zenodo)
- Coffee Lecture Slides: eLabFTW.hs-itz.de – an Electronic Lab Notebook for Thuringian Research Groups (Zenodo | YouTube)
*Use of the service desk is only possible after registration. You can create the necessary account yourself by clicking on “Für ein Konto anmelden”. Please use your university email address. Members of Friedrich Schiller University can use their university login directly.
Chemotion
NFDI4Chem operates an instance of Chemotion, a discipline-specific ELN for chemical research, at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena. Upon request, this instance can also be used by working groups from other universities and universities of applied sciences in Thuringia active in chemical research. If you are interested, please contact the NFDI4Chem helpdesk at helpdesk@nfdi4chem.de.
Further Information
The infrastructure and research center for life science information and data, ZB MED (German National Library of Medicine), presents various articles and resources on the topic of electronic laboratory notebooks via its open access publication portal PUBLISSO. This includes the ELN Guide, which not only highlights the advantages of electronic laboratory notebook applications but also provides best practice examples from various research institutions, guidelines for analyzing the integration of software, and checklists for a needs assessment.
Further general information on the topic can be found on the platforms forschungsdaten.org, forschungsdaten.info, and in the ELN material collection of the FDM community. The working group for electronic laboratory notebooks of the North Rhine-Westphalia RDM state initiative regularly exchanges experiences on the organizational and technical operation of various electronic laboratory notebooks. The mailing lists and meetings are generally open to interested parties from other federal states as well.
