About Electronic Research Notebooks

Electronic research notebooks (ERNs) help researchers to manage the results of research efforts, record and document research processes and procedures, and manage digital research data in ways that increase reproducibility, efficiency, collaboration, searchability, and security.

Columbia University has purchased an enterprise license for LabArchives electronic research notebook (ERN) services for use by its faculty, researchers, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students in performing or learning research activities.  LabArchives and their notebook software interface is securely accessible via the internet from anywhere in the world, using modern web browsers on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. LabArchives can be used for both research and teaching. This license is funded by CUIT and the Libraries, in partnership with the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research, and is provided at no cost to you.

There are a number of very important decisions and considerations that Principal Investigators (PIs) or instructors must make and take into account to determine if a cloud service such as LabArchives is an appropriate choice for where to store research data or manage student work. This website is intended to outline the benefits and risks associated with using an ERN, and serve as a guide to start using LabArchives.