What Is an Electronic Lab Notebook?

An electronic lab notebook (ELN) is a software used by scientists and researchers to document their experimental work. 

In general, electronic lab notebooks serve as a modern replacement for traditional paper lab notebooks, providing a structured and secure way to record, store, and share research data. They are often connected to other software tools for laboratory management, such as sample management systems, laboratory information management systems, and more. 

Contents: Basic Features of ELNs | Advantages and Benefits | How ELNs Improve Research

 

Understanding the Basic Features of an Electronic Lab Notebook

Researchers can expect a few basic functionalities in any electronic lab notebook software. 

• Digital Documentation: ELNs allow researchers to enter their experimental data, observations, and results in a digital format. This can include text, images, graphs, raw data files, and other types of data, providing a comprehensive record of the full experiment lifecycle.
• Notebook Templating and Data Structures: Unlike paper notebooks, ELNs enable structured data entry with predefined templates and forms. This helps ensure consistency in how data is recorded and makes it easier to follow experimental protocols.
• Search Capabilities: ELNs offer powerful search capabilities, allowing users to quickly find specific experiments, results, or notes. Sorting and filtering by certain data are also options with an ELN. These provide a significant improvement over manually searching through paper notebooks or manually updating digital documents that aren’t connected. 
• Cloud-based Access: In most ELNs, researchers can access their ELNs from any location with an internet connection. This is particularly useful for remote collaboration or when working across multiple research sites. While cloud-based ELNs are becoming the standard, some institutions may have on-premise requirements for their data records, so prospective researchers should pay attention to their organization’s rules. 
• Enhanced Data Integrity: ELNs maintain the integrity of data by providing secure, tamper-evident records called audit logs. This means that once data is entered, it cannot be altered without leaving a digital trace. This helps reduce accidental data loss and helps to support certain compliance protocols like 21 CFR 11.

 

Advantages of ELNs

Electronic lab notebooks have many advantages, but the specifics of their features vary from software to software. When looking at this lab software, you’ll need to decide which features make the best electronic lab notebook for your research. In general, you can expect to see these general improvements when you adopt an ELN:

• Project Management: ELNs help manage complex research projects by organizing data and keeping track of progress. They support adherence to protocols and Standard Operating Procedures, and ELNs provide a centralized place where notes and experiments can be captured. 
• Collaboration: ELNs facilitate collaboration by allowing multiple users to access and contribute to the same notebook. This is especially beneficial for large research teams or collaborative projects spanning different institutions.
• Experiment Documentation: ELNs serve as a central point where different types of results, data, and analyses can be compiled, along with the steps used to generate them. This comprehensive documentation ensures that all aspects of the experiment are recorded in one place, making it easier to review and replicate the work.

 

How ELNs Improve Research

ELNs go far beyond replacing paper notebooks. Today’s ELNs are dynamic research tools that help teams improve data accuracy, streamline workflows, and foster scientific collaboration. Here are three ways modern labs use ELNs to support better research outcomes:

1. Standardizing Protocols and Experiment Documentation

ELN softwares provide a structured, digital space for documenting experimental procedures, conditions, raw data, and analyses. Features like time-stamping, version control, and file attachments ensure that nothing gets lost or overlooked. Researchers can also manage SOPs and protocols in one central place, making it easier to maintain consistency across team members—especially in regulated environments.

Why it matters: Labs reduce errors, ensure compliance, and improve reproducibility by keeping protocols updated and accessible to the whole team.

2. Curating and Comparing Results

Highlighting significant results within an ELN allows researchers to tag key findings, track experiment evolution, and revisit conclusions efficiently. With searchable and structured data, teams can identify trends, anomalies, and performance metrics across projects over time.

Why it matters: Researchers can quickly find and share key outcomes, making team reviews more productive and analysis more insightful.

3. Enhancing Collaboration and Oversight

Whether your team is centralized or distributed, ELNs enable real-time collaboration on experiment records, procedures, and results. Colleagues can contribute notes, offer feedback, and sign off on entries, supporting transparency and accountability. Supervisors can also review documentation easily to ensure that procedures are followed and data is accurate.

Why it matters: Better collaboration leads to faster troubleshooting, smoother workflows, and greater confidence in your research data.

LabKey’s Electronic Lab Notebook

Our user-friendly ELN software is designed to help scientists efficiently document their experiments and share their ongoing research. Having a data-connected electronic lab notebook allows labs to seamlessly and securely integrate with sample management, assay data and other registered data while enabling collaboration and efficiency in the organization. Take a tour to see how this powerful tool could help your lab.