It is now possible to publish in the Electronic Research Notebook (ERN), provided by RSpace
UCL’s Electronic Research Notebook (ERN), provided by RSpace, addresses many of the limitations of traditional paper lab notebooks. It makes it far easier to add and associate electronic items, overcomes the ‘single copy’ problem of paper, helps formalise processes across teams, and keeps an indelible record of the research process. The ERN service provides a means to edit and manage notes and data relating to your research and ultimately is intended to serve not only as an alternative to traditional paper lab notebooks but as a wide-ranging solution for researchers who wish to gather their notes and related files in a single system where they can collaborate and selectively share their work with others in their team.
Who can publish with the Electronic Research Notebook?
Principal Investigators (PIs) have the authority to publish via the ERN. Additionally, they can delegate this privilege to members of their lab groups.
Do I need to cost anything into grants?
Publishing via the ERN is free.
When should I publish via the Electronic Research Notebook?
Publishing on the ERN isn't geared towards long-term archiving; rather, it's tailored for researchers seeking to present their ongoing work in real-time, providing an avenue for collaboration with select external parties beyond the UCL community.
The Research Data Repository (RDR), on the other hand, is designed for static data that has ceased to change. It is a standard practice to publish items into an appropriate specialist data repository or the RDR, which can then be cited in journal articles using Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs). Presently, DOIs are not being allocated for publications within the Electronic Research Notebook (ERN), but they are allocated for items within the RDR. While the possibility of long-term publication within the ERN may be revisited in the future, its current role is not perceived as that of a repository.
More information on when to use the RDR found here.
Why should I publish via the Electronic Research Notebook?
- It's free and easy to use.
- Enhanced collaboration.
- Promote and elucidate the work done by your research team and UCL as a whole.
- Compliance with NIH policies on Electronic Lab Notebooks.
- Helps with data access and sharing statements.
How do I publish on the Electronic Research Notebook?
RSpace have documentation and a step-by-step guide to outline how to do this here.
It's important to highlight the two distinct avenues for publishing within this context. Content can either be made publicly accessible via a private link, or the link can be made available for public discovery, including to search engines.
Reminder: Don't publish things you shouldn't. While RSpace facilitates publication, researchers must exercise discretion and adhere to ethical guidelines. This involves being mindful of what should or should not be made public, and ensuring that sensitive or confidential information remains safeguarded.
How do I publish from the Electronic Research Notebook into the Research Data Repository?
Export documents as PDFs from the ERN and upload them to the RDR.