What is Open Notebook ?

Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs) is defined by wikipedia as a computer program designed to replace paper laboratory notebooks. Lab notebooks in general are used by scientists, engineers, and technicians to document research, experiments, and procedures performed in a laboratory.

ELNs enable researchers to organize and store experimental procedures, protocols, plans, notes, data, and even unfiltered interpretations using their computer or mobile device. They are a digital analogue to the paper notebook most researchers keep. Open notebook research is simply the practice of making such notebooks openly available, usually online (read more...)

Open Notebook Advantages

Open Notebooks can offer several advantages over the traditional paper notebook in documenting research during the active phase of a project. We could list some of them:

  • Helps to reduce duplication of work.
  • Helps foster new collaborations, and cultivates a more open dialogue with others.
  • Helps researchers avoid exploring dead ends and making mistakes that may have already been covered by their colleague.
  • Provide more searchability within and across notebooks.
  • Give remote access to notebooks.

open notebook image
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Electronic Laboratory Notebooks: More than Notes

A special thanks to Alan Wolf Assistant Chief Information Officer for Advanced Computing University of Wisconsin – Madison and Jan Cheetham Research and Instructional Technologies Consultant University of Wisconsin – Madison.