Once Upon a Lab: A FAIRy Tale of ELNs

Presentation by Dr Samantha Pearman-Kanza on: Once Upon a Lab! A FAIRy Tale of ELNs, for the NFDI4Microbiota Annual Conference 2025. Abstract: With the ever increasing realisation that a majority of scientific research data that is published is not “FAIR” (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) there has been a strong push in recent years to implement digital tools within the labs (namely Electronic Lab Notebooks) to combat this. However, implementing an Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) is no mean feat, it is a highly complex sociotechnical endeavour. Furthermore, we need to understand that implementing an ELN is not the end of the journey; digital tools and digitally produced data are arguably no more FAIR than the original paper based lab book if they are not utilised to their full extent. This talk will explore the barriers and considerations that need to be taken into account for a successful implementation, drawn from over a decade of experience of working in this sphere.