Building a community of practice: Situating data management in the transition to electronic lab notebooks

Abstract

This poster will describe an information management initiative sponsored by the School of Medicine Research Administration. The 4-month pilot involved the rollout of an electronic lab notebook (ELN) system alongside tailored support for developing operational data management plans. Administrative drivers included improving lab efficiency and reducing institutional liability. The pilot primarily focused on the benefits of ELN use and formalizing data management practices. A key goal was to improve the collection of and access to experimental information and improve information management workflows. Integrating data management plan support as part of the ELN pilot contextualizes how the ELN fits into, and can potentially improve, existing lab workflows and highlights the unique information management needs of each research lab.