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Electronic Lab Notebooks: ELN Recommendations

This guide covers the basics of Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs), including their uses and features.

Dave Zwicky

Dave Zwicky's picture
Dave Zwicky
Contact:
WALC 3053
Library of Engineering & Science
765-496-7279
Website

Choosing an ELN

Purdue University does not currently recommend a specific ELN. However, the following features are highly recommended.  An ELN should be able to:

  • Authenticate information (secure logins, audit trails, and time stamps)
  • View protein and chemical structures
  • Connect to external services (citation managers, cloud storage, repositories)
  • Import raw data, multimedia, and MS Office files
  • Export information to PDF and MS Office products
  • Print and/or back-up an entire notebook
  • Share sections of a lab notebook with collaborators

Further Reading

For further reading, these third party sites may be helpful for determining the best ELN for your lab: