Quality Assurance

Electronic Lab Notebook (eLN) - Labfolder

For hundreds of years, scientists have been documented observations, research processes and experiments in paper laboratory notebooks. Meanwhile, digital documentation systems have been developed. In recent years, "Electronic Laboratory Notebooks" (ELN) have been widly adopted by scientists in the industry. Researchers at universities, however, often seem to stick to their traditional paper laboratory notebooks, although a wide varity of ELNs specially adapted to experimental research have been on the market.

We offer an electronic lab notebook for BIH researchers from the Charité and perspectively the MDC. The eLN meets the criteria of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), respective DIN EN ISO regulations as well as 21CFR11 of the FDA.

Regular training offers
Here you can find our regular training offers.
Access to the electronic laboratory book
Who can apply for an account?
Individuals as well as working groups of the BIH, Charité and MDC are invited to apply for an account on the labfolder server of the BIH.
What is the difference between an individual account and a group account?
Individual user accounts work isolated. They cannot work together or share projects with colleagues. However individual users can be invited to an existing labfolder group at any time. Their private projects are then transferred to the group.
For this reason, the individual user account is a good way to get a first impression on how labfolder works. As soon as there are at least two persons from the same workgroup using labfolder it is strongly recommanded to apply for a group at the labfolder server.
How do I register for an account?
Individual users: Individuals can create an account by using this form (restricted to the Charité Intranet!)
Groups: If you work together as a group, please use this form. The group will be created for you and you will receive administrative privileges which allow you to invite other users to your group.
What if I already use labfolder in the cloud (labfolder.com)?
In this case please contact us at elabbook@bih-charite.de before you apply for an account.
I already have an labfolder account.
Please, log in to the lab book with an existing account here (intranet).
Recorded lectures and tutorials
Winterschool of Ethics
In this 30-minute lecture Ingo Przesdzing talks about the advantages of an electronic laboratory book, provides some decision-making aids for the choice of a suitable system and describes the process of converting paper laboratory books to an electronic laboratory book. Link
Using electronic laboratory notebooks in the academic life sciences.
Ulrich Dirnagl describes the transition from classical paper laboratory books to electronic systems from the point of view of a group leader and head of an institute. Link
Ein Rundgang durch labfolder
labfolder FAQ
What are the benefits of an electronic lab notebook (eln)?
The electronic lab book facilitates the documentation of experiments, since digitally presented results, can be integrated directly into the records. Projects can be shared with colleagues, or be worked on alone. By means of a full-text search, filter and the possibility of indexing, it is easy to find related entries, even years after the actual experiments. For recurring workflows, templates can be created to save time in documenting the results.
Who can use the eln?
The offer is directed at all interested work groups and individual users in the BIH, Charité and MDC.
What solution does BIH use?
The BIH QUEST Center for Responsible Research at the BIH has opted for labfolder, the browser-based, electronic laborbuch software from Labforward GmbH. For general information about Labfolder, visit https://www.labfolder.com/de.
How can I be part of it?
Interested work groups can apply for access to the Electronic Laboratory Book as seen above. Further information on registration and the difference between group and individual see above. Single user accesses can be created here.
Are there any license fees the groups have to pay?
No, using the electronic lab notebook at the BIH is free of charges for the workgroups.
Is the use of labfolder mandatory?
No, the use of labfolder - including training and support - is only an offer. The use of paper lab books is also possible as well as the use of other electronic lab notebook solutions as long as they meet the requirements of Good Scientific Practice (GCP), the corresponding DIN ISO regulations and the 21CFR11 of the FDA.
Can results from clinical studies, which may include personal data, e.g. patient data, also be documented in the eln?
The electronic laboratory notebook is not intended for clinical studies, but pseudonymised measured values from materials of human origin can now also be stored in Labfolder. Please note the modified terms of use on the registration page.
Are my research data stored in the electronic laboratory book safe?
labfolder is run on BIH's own servers. Their availability is well over 99%. Research data will never leave this protected area. The data is kept on redundant storages which are saved daily. Access to the data is only possible for registered users. Within the eln, each workgroup has its own, closed area, in which projects can be shared with individual group members or the whole group. The creator of the respective project decides for which projects this should be the case.
Who owns the data that is documented in labfolder?
As with the paper lab books, the data belong to the institution at which the researcher is employed.
Is there a way to retrieve a copy of my data from the electronic laboratory book?
The entries and all files can be exported at any time. The XHTML formats PDF are available for this purpose.
Are there interfaces between labfolder and the laboratory information systems (LIMS) at BIH? (LIMS) am BIH?
Not so far, however, interfaces are conceivable and planned. For further questions concerning LIMS, please contact the IT department at BIH.