EVOLUTION OF ELECTRONIC LABORATORY NOTEBOOKS - Collaborative Computational Technologies for Biomedical Research - page 309

Figure 19.3 Wide range of data types need to be accommodated in an ELN.

It is common to repeat experiments with minor variations, for example,
scale up in a drug development laboratory. In the paper world a new record
had to be entered in its entirety. This is both tedious and susceptible to errors.
In the electronic environment a simple search discovers previous work; this
work is then copied (cloned) to a new record and adapted to the new
requirement—larger equipment and material quantities are entered, the
equipment is allocated, and the experiment is run. Companies report large
improvements in productivity due to the time saved by cloning. Now that a
positive value can be assigned to the use of ELNs, companies are keen to
leverage their use to fi nd other areas where costs can be saved.

19.5 COLLABORATION

Collaboration means different things to different scientists. Traditionally dis-
covery chemists have worked in semi-isolation. Collaboration to them means