Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs) - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs)

The opinions of physical chemists

Isobel Hogg and Alisa Becker

January 2015

Slide2

Today’s aims

Introduction to the project

Methodology

Results

Barriers to implementation

Impressions and conclusions

Next steps

Slide3

What is an ELN and why are we interested?

“

An electronic lab notebook (also known as electronic laboratory notebook, or ELN) is a

computer program designed to replace paper laboratory notebooks

.”

1Interest in ELNs in place of paper lab notebooks has increased in recent years, most notably in the pharmaceutical industry e.g. Accelrys and LABTrackFaraday Division Council expressed concerns that ELNs may not meet the needs of physical chemistsWe decided to interview a range of members of the physical chemistry community to assess their needs for ELNs

1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_lab_notebook

Slide4

Methodology

20 telephone interviews with physical chemists

All academics

50% supervisors, 50% group members (post-graduate students & post docs)

Slide5

Location of interviewees

Slide6

Areas of research

Slide7

Interview themes

Problems with

current ways

of working

User

experiences of ELNsAttitudes to data sharingSuggested requirements for ELNsPracticalities System design (interface, archiving, narration)Features

Slide8

1. Problems with current ways of working

There is often a

lack

of

narrative

and poor levels of note taking (90%)Difficult to find previous work / no effective data management system (75%)

Slide9

Lack of narrative and poor levels of

note taking

70% of supervisors and 80% of

group members said this

Suggested reasons included:

Illegible handwritingTime consumingNot considered a priority at the time Not realising how difficult it would be to remember what the work was until it was too lateBeing partially sightedLazinessResearchers found this to be a problem with both their own work AND that of former group members

Slide10

Difficulties finding

previous

work

“I’m quite worried that when I come to write things up it is going to be a struggle”

“Very few people leave behind one comprehensive source where all their data is”

“We have stacks of lab books but they are often hard to decipher and not very well organised” “We have big issues looking at other people’s work once they have left”“I often end up repeating work”

Slide11

2. Experience of ELNs and current use

Breakdown of the 30% who had experience:

The

“experience and don’t use”

were all group members

The “experience and use” were all supervisors

Slide12

Experience of data management systems/ELNs

DM Systems:

General digital notebook (i.e. OneNote)

Spreadsheet

Database

Slide13

Requirement for a data management system

Slide14

Quotes from researchers on the prospect of using an ELN

“I’d be very open to the idea of using one [an ELN] but none of the teams I’ve worked in have had them”

“A better archiving process would save me hours of time

”

“A software version where you can move all your data around and keep it in one place is very appealing”“I need a program that makes recording and managing all information related to my research easy and

quick”

“

It makes more sense to make the whole thing electronic”

“I’d definitely be open to the idea of using one

”

Slide15

User experiences of ELNs

Benefits

Good to have a central

data storage place for

everything

Improved accessibility to data“It works really well in terms of getting the dialogue and discussion”

Slide16

User experiences of ELNs

Difficulties

Great

idea but performed really

badly

Many well developed ELNS are unaffordable for academia“The big hurdle is getting people to not write notes in lab books on the side”“Inability to write equations is what stopped us using it”“Poor ability to tabulate data”

Slide17

3. Attitudes to data sharing

20% yes were group members

1

0% yes were group members

Slide18

4. Suggested r

equirements

for ELNs

Practicalities

System

design (interface, archiving, narration)Features

Slide19

Practicalities

One comprehensive source

which keeps everything together (65%)

One central place (i.e. like

D

ropbox) through which they can access all their work, including data.Portable with flexible accessibility (60%)The ability to move the lab book around the lab and for themselves and their group to view the information from anywhereAffordable with reliable and well maintained IT infrastructureFunding for hardware and softwareOngoing costs need considerationMust be available on different operating systems (60%)

Slide20

System design

Effective interface design – both flexible and structured templates

, easy,

intuitive,

effective

& quick to use interface with a systematic logging system (95%)Easy way to record narrative and improve note taking (90%)Improve organisational structure of own work with an easy to use data archiving/storage system that is searchable (60%)

Slide21

Features

Different access

rights, a

digital time stamp, electronic signatures,

and

track changes/roll-back functionalityAbility to create links to outputs from experimentsAbility to draw graphs, write equations, enter tables, experimental set-up sketches digitally and with a hand stylus/ drawing tool

Slide22

Features continued…

General Features

Physical Features

Ability

to l

ink to..Molecular graphic systemEquation writerPhysical portability around the lab Mathematica, Matlab, LabviewAutomatic

graph drawing

Electronic signature /

Digital time stamp

Hand stylus/ drawing tool

Jpg

files, ASCII files,

potentio

stat files

Automated

storing of equipment parameters

Mark/flag/tag files like in Outlook

Video

PDFs, instrument manuals, group presentations, posters

Templates

Hover-over definitions

Webcam 

Spectra

Automatic file name generation

Security/password protection

Chemical resistant/waterproof (tablet case)

Literature

Suitable for different operating systems

Different

a

ccess rights

Voice recording/ recognition

Screen

prints

“Free” interface

Roll back system

Photoshop

Tables

Searchable

Slide23

Barriers to Implementation

Timing of the switch will effect how easy it is for researchers to change their way of working

It

might not be possible to implement all suggested

features e.g.

Photoshop and being affordableA handwriting tool and being searchableWhen work is visible to others, it may affect what researchers recordCosts and infrastructure may affect use in academia

Slide24

The physical chemistry community have limited experience of ELNs

There’s enthusiasm and positive attitude towards:

t

he concept of an ELN

a

data management system improvements in narrative recording and organisation of dataIt isn't enough to develop an electronic version of a paper notebook – there are other requirementsImpressions & Conclusions