title: A pocket guide to electronic laboratory notebooks in the academic life sciences.
abstract: Every professional doing active research in the life sciences is required to keep a laboratory notebook. However, while science has changed dramatically over the last centuries, laboratory notebooks have remained essentially unchanged since pre-modern science. We argue that the implementation of electronic laboratory notebooks (eLN) in academic research is overdue, and we provide researchers and their institutions with the background and practical knowledge to select and initiate the implementation of an eLN in their laboratories. In addition, we present data from surveying biomedical researchers and technicians regarding which hypothetical features and functionalities they hope to see implemented in an eLN, and which ones they regard as less important. We also present data on acceptance and satisfaction of those who have recently switched from paper laboratory notebook to an eLN.  We thus provide answers to the following questions: What does an electronic laboratory notebook afford a biomedical researcher, what does it require, and how should one go about implementing it?
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Neurology and Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Berlin, 10117, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Diseases (DZHK), Berlin, 10117, Germany; Excellence Cluster NeuroCure, Berlin, 10117, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, 10117, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dirnagl
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Neurology and Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Przesdzing
keywords: Code of Federal Regulations Title 21; Data storage; Documentation; Good Laboratory Practice; Good Scientific Practice; Laboratory information management systems; Software
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