Data storage is a crucial step in the data management process that can often be overlooked due to insufficient time.
Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs) as a means for organizing and storing data provide benefits such as:
- easy searchability
- remote access to notebook
- ability to easily share with collaborators
- easy to decipher
- allows for capture and incorporation of high-quality images
- provides a timestamp for future patent protection
- ability to import / export data files
- allows for long-term storage and preservation of files
- easy to copy and paste entries to adapt future experiments instead of rewriting the same material
However, there are some downsides (although we feel the benefits far outweigh the downsides):
- Costs especially when users reach certain limits such as data storage or number of users
- Reliant on network connections and stability of the company
- Time and effort to figure out what best suites your research
