Open Science

The electronic laboratory notebook service is coordinated by the open science and research support department of the Service Commun de Documentation (SCD) and the Direction de l'Innovation et des Partenariats (DIPa), with technical support from the Direction des Systèmes d'Information et du Numérique (DSIN).

An electronic laboratory notebook?

The electronic laboratory notebook (CLE) is the digital counterpart to the paper laboratory notebook, and like the latter, it documents research activities and details of scientific work on a day-to-day basis. It is intended to guarantee the traceability and reproducibility of research, while attesting to the quality and veracity of data. If necessary, it can be used as proof of the anteriority and ownership of data.

It is best suited to structures where work is not or not very routine, such as research or R&D laboratories. The main benefits of CLEs are their ability to quickly find the information/data they contain (search function), share it more effectively and improve collaboration. The structure of CLEs tends to better organize data and store it more securely.

eLab FTW the choice of the University of Montpellier

After a period of benchmarking and testing with several units, the University of Montpellier chose the eLabFTW solution for several reasons:

  1. Open Science: open source software under the AGPLv3 license, registered on GitHub, originally developed in the French ESR. It facilitates the production of FAIR data.
  2. Practicality: web-based application running on all operating systems, offered as SaaS by Deltablot (software designer). It's versatile, easy to use and quick to learn. eLabFTW has built up a large community of users. It is used in particular by the CEA, CNRS, INRIA, INRAE and IRD.
  3. Legal compliance: compliant with standards for the admission of literal electronic evidence(article 1366 of the French Civil Code), theRGAA (référentiel général d'amélioration de l'accessibilité), and WCAG 2.0.
    It features eIDAS 2014-certified time stamping.
  4. Data security: fully encrypted data transfer (TLS 1.3). Rated A+ by the HTTP Observatory. Certified "Silver" by the Open Source Security Foundation. The first CNRS-certified application, notably on security criteria. Validated by UM RSSI and FSD. Data stored on a SecNumCloud 3.2 server .

eLab FTW key features

test

 

How CLE helps produce FAIR data

The FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles describe how data should be organized to make it more accessible, understandable, exchangeable and reusable.

Findable

  • All CLE entries have a unique identifier.
  • Entries are described with a wealth of metadata (author(s), creation dates, tags, list of linked files, etc.), themselves linked to this identifier.
  • eLab FTW features powerful search options for fast retrieval of data or metadata.

Accessible

  • All data may be shared in their entirety with the author's permission.
  • As the solution is deployed on the net, it can be accessed anywhere in the world (depending on the author's system administration settings and sharing options).
  • Entries can be exported in .pdf format, making them readable by anyone.

Interoperable

  • We encourage data to be deposited in open formats or in formats commonly used in the research communities from which they originate.
  • Experiments written in CLE are stored in JSON format (open format).
  • eLab FTW is a member of the ELN consortium, which is working to disseminate the .eln standard for CLE notebook data.

Reusable

  • CLE lets you duplicate inputs and create reusable experience models.

Who is the electronic laboratory notebook intended for?

The CLE deployed at UM is intended for anyone working in a research unit hosted by the University of Montpellier, regardless of their status (researcher, engineer, technician, doctoral student, trainee, etc.) or their other supervisory authority(ies). Users do not need to be permanent to access the service. The service is entirely free of charge.

How do I access the service?

If your unit is eligible for the service, the DU can apply by contacting the project team at: elabftw-assistance@umontpellier.fr. It is recommended to organize a presentation seminar in the unit before the opening of the CLE.

From September 2025, requests can also be made via the service center.

Who's coming with me?

The project team will support you at every stage of the CLE rollout:

  • A one-hour presentation seminar in the units
  • Training in the use of the tool in the units, face-to-face or remote (duration 2h)
  • Tool administration training (45min -1h)
  • Training session(s) for doctoral students in the first semester
  • Supporting change and integrating the CLE into laboratory life
  • Individual appointments on request

Training and support at eLab FTW are open to all UM staff, even if they use a facility provided by another institution.

Does the laboratory notebook have any legal value?

Yes, like the paper notebook, the electronic notebook can be used as proof of authorship, originality or anteriority in the event of an intellectual property dispute.

The traceability of experiments is made possible by the authentication (single or double) of each contributor, and their dating is ensured by the software itself, which retains the date and time of each modification. It is also possible to time-stamp experiments by having a token certified by Universign. Certified time-stamping by a trusted third party is strong proof of the existence of the data on the date indicated.

Do I have to use the laboratory notebooks in my unit/team/research group?

No. The UM does not require the use of electronic laboratory notebooks.

We open up "laboratory notebook teams" to any research staff who so request (with the agreement of their management).

The question of whether CLE should be used at unit or sub-unit level is left to the discretion of the directorates concerned.

Nevertheless, the use of a laboratory notebook is strongly recommended as part of a quality approach to research, and keeping a laboratory notebook, whether electronic or not, is contractually obligatory for doctoral students.

Aren't electronic lab notebooks better suited to bench work?

Initially, yes. In the late 1990s, the first CLEs were developed within the chemistry community, with a focus on research and development.

As a result, many of the functions implemented in these tools were designed specifically for this discipline. Over time, the disciplinary fields covered by CLEs have expanded. Either through the creation of numerous specific CLEs dedicated to particular fields (agronomy, pharma/biomedical, geology, etc.) or through the development of generic CLEs designed to break down disciplinary boundaries.

eLab FTW, a generic CLE, is widely used in disciplines that already use paper laboratory notebooks, such as physics, chemistry and cellular and molecular biology, but also in disciplines where this tool is not at the heart of the profession, such as language sciences, psychology, philosophy/history of science and geography.

I need to work outside the lab (telecommuting / in the field), can I use the electronic lab notebook?

As a web-based solution, CLE is accessible anywhere in France where you have an Internet connection; the user interface also works on a tablet or smartphone (stylus writing possible).

At present, it is not possible to access the service without an internet connection.

Where is my data stored?

Your data is not stored on your terminal, but on secure, redundant servers at several 3DS Outscale sites in the Paris region.

You can export your data at any time in .pdf, .csv, .zip or .enl (computer format dedicated to CLEs). The .zip and .enl files can be reloaded into eLabFTW as they are, allowing you to transfer your experiments or resources from one instance to another without any problem.

I use large-volume files. Can I upload them to the electronic lab notebook?

First and foremost, the electronic laboratory notebook is not intended to serve as a warehouse for raw data (proteomic or genomic data, ct-scan, long or very high definition video).

If you're using large files, it's best to deposit them in a disciplinary data warehouse and import the link to the deposited file into the CLE (a dedicated tab can be generated in the CLE entries). A link to a local storage server is also possible.

To avoid overloading, the maximum size of importable files has been limited to 100 MB per file, although multiple files can be imported.

For further information

The open science webinar dedicated to CLEs

Best practices for setting up a CNRS electronic laboratory notebook

elab FTW demo instance accessible to all without login