Electronic Laboratory Notebooks (ELNs) are software programs that replace paper notebooks in the lab, but they are also more than that, helping to close the electronic gaps among and between data systems. Recently, ELNs have been part of the informatics convergence trend in laboratories, which has become particularly important in QA/QC labs where ELNs can streamline data review as well as help reduce mistakes and expensive retesting. Another current change going on is the addition of more functions to ELNs, especially in the areas of sample management and inventorying. However, these products have remained application-specific over the years with no universal ELN that can serve chemistry, biology, and quality workflows. We recently surveyed our readers about ELN use in their labs.
Readers were also asked what the primary purposes for their ELNs are. Here’s how they answered:
| Centralized data repositories | 16% |
| Improved communication between instruments and related software | 5% |
| Accelerating the documentation and reporting of experimentation | 21% |
| Workflow coordination across geographic and business boundaries | 5% |
| Intellectual Property (IP) Protection | 26% |
| All of the above | 26% |
The biggest challenges our surveyed readers faced in purchasing their ELNs were:
| Investing in software that will become obsolete | 19% |
| Data migration into the new system | 8% |
| Staff adoption and training | 26% |
| Demonstrating ROI | 13% |
| System selection | 7% |
| Gaining user buy-in | 8% |
| Integration with other systems | 15% |
| Other | 3% |
Most important features that impact our readers’ decisions to buy an ELN system:
| Important | Not Important | Don't Know | |
| Ease of use | 99% | 1% | 0% |
| Training | 98% | 2% | 0% |
| Versatility | 97% | 1% | 2% |
| Security | 94% | 3% | 3% |
| Price | 94% | 4% | 2% |
| Customization | 94% | 5% | 1% |
| Service and Support | 92% | 5% | 3% |
| Scalability | 91% | 7% | 2% |
| Multi-Platform | 89% | 9% | 2% |
| Ease of Installation | 88% | 9% | 3% |
| Remote Access | 81% | 15% | 4% |
| Web-based access | 80% | 14% | 6% |
Our respondents are most interested in speeding up the reporting and documenting of experiments in their labs. Here are the other main reasons they decided to purchase an ELN:
| Upgrading existing ELNs | 4% |
| Addition to existing systems, increase capacity | 10% |
| Setting up a new lab | 11% |
| Centralized data repositories | 8% |
| Infrastructure for capturing, accessing and sharing experimental information | 11% |
| Improved communication between instruments and related software | 7% |
| Accelerating the documentation and reporting of experimentation | 21% |
| Enabling scientists to collaborate effectively on multi-stage projects | 4% |
| Workflow coordination across geographic and business boundaries | 4% |
| Streamlined regulatory compliance | 7% |
| Web-based access | 10% |
| Other | 3% |
There are four main types of ELN installations; here are the kinds that our surveyed readers use in their laboratories:
| Web-based | 26% |
| Stand-alone | 11% |
| Thin client/server | 21% |
| Client/server | 42% |
The number of users who access the ELNs in our respondents’ labs:
| 1 to 10 | 33% |
| 11 to 25 | 28% |
| 26 to 50 | 17% |
| 51 or more | 42% |
The vast majority of our readers are buying an ELN for the first time. Is this your first-time purchase of an ELN?
| Yes | 90% |
| No | 10% |
For more information on ELNs, visit www.labmanager.com/eln
