Are you familiar with electronic lab notebooks and how they work? Not yet?

Then we highly recommend that you read the latest paper by Data Steward Justine Vandendorpe (et.al.). Published in PLOS Computational Biology, Ten simple rules for implementing electronic lab notebooks (ELNs) provides invaluable insight and practical steps for selecting and implementing ELNs at your institution.

An ELN is a software tool for documenting laboratory experiments, research data, and processes. ELNs are poised to replace paper lab notebooks as part of the ongoing digital transformation and offer many advantages over physical lab notebooks.

Dive into Justine’s article to learn more about the ten rules to help you on your journey to implementing ELNs.

Key highlights include an in-depth discussion of the benefits of open-source ELNs, an emphasis on the importance of standardization, and a handy questionnaire to test the usability of ELNs in the supporting information.

In addition to the publication, ZB MED did a short interview with Justine about her article. Watch the video for a quick introduction to the topic.