Over the years, researchers have relied on paper lab notebooks to document their data, but that has changed since the invention of electronic lab notebooks, popularly known as ELNS. Digital Laboratory Notebook has a version of the paper lab notebook with advanced features, solutions, and services.
The invention of electronic lab notebooks has played an important role in helping scientists and managers achieve a variety of goals. Even with the ELN proving to be more efficient and effective than paper lab notebooks, there are still ways you can improve their performance. This post will give you a list of the top apps to take your electronic lab notebook to the next level.
Here are some features that a quality ELN should possess and the benefits of using an ELN:
Features A Quality Eln Should Have
- Laboratory inventory management
- User-friendly interface
- Electronic signature
- Access view on multiple platforms
- Quality security measures and support
- Note keeping apps integration
- Collaboration tools with team management for task assigning
Benefits Of an Eln
Eln software boasts many benefits to the scientists that use it, and here are a few.
- Boast tools that keep the notebook functional and organized
- Highly customizable to suit your needs
- Easy access even when out of the laboratory
- Easy to share with a group, university, and management
So, with such benefits, it’s evident that the Elns exist to make your life easier; thus, here’s a list of the top Elns.
Sapio Sciences
If you are looking for a secure and compliant documentation platform for your lab and experiments, then Sapio Sciences should be your go-to choice. Featuring impressive management, capture, and data-sharing features, Sapio Sciences would perfectly fit into the research data frameworks designed for a modern-day university.
SapioSciences’ platform is highly intuitive and quite easy to use. They are very compatible with a wide range of science-specific and general-purpose tools, making it a top ELN choice.
Microsoft OneNote
OneNote is a very flexible Eln given that initially, it wasn’t designed for use in the lab. Still, due to its flexibility and versatility, its users have adopted it as their preferred ELN solution. One Note allows you to organize your notebook in a variety of ways, given the fact that it bears similar characteristics to the other Microsoft Office products.
With OneNote, you can create notes using a stylus or keyboard, and it also allows you to add pictures, graphs, and charts. Also, OneNote permits you to add custom tags to your research, share it with colleagues, print it in word or PDF format, and create custom templates.
Benchling
If you seek a simple, easy-to-use ELN program that provides a seamless and unified environment to compile your experiment data, benchling should be your first choice. Boasting features like reduced data entry time, improved data security and integrity, and enabling traceability, it allows unified data recording across several applications.
Also, thanks to Benchling Validated Cloud, it is easier to access data management tools within a controlled environment.
Labarchives
As a pioneer, ELN Lab Archives emphasizes providing researchers with a highly intuitive and secure cloud-based electronic lab notebook. The LabArchives boasts features like a complete audit trail, chemical sketching, alerts and mentions, and data encryption, among other impressive tools.
With so many tools and a highly responsive and user-friendly interface, LabArchives provides a flexible yet highly organized platform that you can customize to meet your needs. LabArchives also allows its users to create, store, manage and share their research.
Labfolder
Labfolder is an Eln designed to help scientists worldwide in their quest for scientific discoveries, especially those in higher fields like biotech and biology. Boasting 3 GB of cloud storage, Labfolder offers an open and trusted ecosystem that connects teams, data, processes, and devices.
Labfolder can be described as an elm product designed to connect laboratories. Labfolder is also a laboratory information management and inventory management system.
Electronic lab notebooks are designed to make your work easier and more fun. As a result, if you are still using paper lab notebooks, it’s time to make the switch to the digital version. Also, remember to ensure that the electronic lab notebook you are getting is user-friendly and compatible with your needs.
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