Electronic research notebooks (ERNs) meet the demands of modern science by creating a digital, organized, and secure recordkeeping environment for scientists to efficiently function in an increasingly disciplinary and collaborative community.
For hundreds of years, the paper notebook has played a key role in how scientific research has been conducted and served as the official record for measurements and observations.
As publishing, sharing and searching for information has shifted to an electronic workflow, the paper notebook has been left behind, filled with illegible writing and pasted experimental data from automated instruments.
Electronic Research Notebooks offer the opportunity for scientists to make the output of scientific research more accessible and improve reproducibility and productivity in their work.
Additionally, a 2013 memo from the Office of Science and Technology Policy and federal funding agencies are now holding scientists conducting research in academia accountable for providing infrastructure to support research data management.
Other practical reasons for using an ERN platform include:
