From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia An electronic lab notebook (also known as electronic laboratory notebook, or ELN) is a computer program designed to replace paper laboratory notebooks. Lab notebooks in general are used by scientists, engineers, and technicians to document research, experiments, and procedures performed in a laboratory. This organization, a notebook can encompass unlimited projects (Section Groups in OneNote). A project can contain unlimited sections (e.g., protocols); meanwhile, experiments can be arranged using at least three hierarchical layers: sections, pages, and subpages (Fig 1). OneNote is the nearest equivalent to a paper notebook. It’s a note taking app, not a bespoke lab book butit is flexible– it allows for different structures, different projects/groups/ways of working. Allows us to include data from a range of sources. Not prescriptive. Microsoft – so it should be well supported and have future longevity (unlike other smaller, bespoke offerings). Safe, compliant storage (more on.
Summary from Vendor: OneNote is a member of the Office family you already know. Shape notes with points pulled from Outlook email, or embed an Excel table. Get more done with all your favorite Office apps working together.
Compare OneNote to other options in the Electronic Lab Notebook Matrix.
Please Note: This information has been verified by a vendor representative. Last updated: 2018-02-01
Search functions can search across file formats and beyond typos
- Able to search for documents within the platform
- Able to search beyond file formats
- Able to search beyond typographical errors
- Transparency of file structure
Ability to manipulate files and images
- Can manipulate text documents and spreadsheets, and can manipulate some elements of images and other data sets
Support for multiple open windows
- Yes
Ability to link out
- Yes
Support for Researcher Documentation
Documentation and metadata creationHyperlink Support
- Yes
Metadata Creation Prompts
- No
Rights Management (Licensing)
- No
Protocol Integration
- No
Adaptability to Lab Workflows
Platform compatibilityAccounts/Permissions Levels
- No information provided
Internal Data Sharing
- No information provided
Adaptable to a Variety of Workflows
- No information provided
Compatibility with authoring tools
- No information provided
Windows Compatible
- Yes
Macintosh Compatible
- Yes
Linux Compatible
- Yes
Android Compatible
- Yes
iOS Compatible
- Yes
Cloud Storage
- No information provided
Local Storage
- No information provided
Hybrid (cloud/local) Storage
- Yes
Versioning
- Tracking, backup, storage
File Redundancy
- No information provided
Creates stable URLs or persistent identifiers for entries
- No information provided
Can unregistered users access the data found at persistent links?
- Yes
Storage Capacity - Users
- 5 TB
Storage Capacity - Max File Size
- 10 GB
Cloud
- No information provided
Local
- No information provided
Hybrid (combination of cloud and local)
- No information provided
Training
- In-person training, user oriented training, BrainStorm QuickHelp
Documentation
- FAQs, video tutorials, instructions, 'Quick-start' instructions
Data Migration from Other Systems (incoming migration)
- Yes
Compatibility with data repositories
- Yes; OneDrive, SharePoint, Box, Dropbox, Network Drives, etc.
Exit Strategies (outgoing migration)
- Notes can be exported in doc, pdg, xps and mht
Recovery Options
- Files stored in the cloud can be synced to your computer, and be backed up with SharePoint
Single Sign-on (Institutional ID)
- Yes
Number of Installations per institution
- No license (included with Office 365 or standalone)
Multiple client use
- Yes
Number of registered Harvard/HMS users
- No information provided
Other higher-education users
- The ELN is not currently used at a higher education institution. The LIMS product is used at several educational institutions.
- Up to and including Level 3
Backdoor accessibility
- Yes
Open Science/Open Data Efforts
- Supports co-authoring and publishing to the web for others to view/edit.
Academically Oriented
- No information provided
Cost (per seat)
- No information provided
Dictation/voice input
- Yes
Data Entry
- OneNote file format is used, can manipulate text documents and spreadsheets as well as some elements of images and datasets.
Platform Integrations
- Microsoft Office Suite
Office 365 Home
- Cost: $99.99 per year / $9.99 per month
- Desktop versions of Office 2016applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook, plus Access and Publisher for PC only
- One license covers 5 PCs or Macs
- Optimized Office experience on up to 5 tablets and 5 phones
- File storage and sharing with 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user, for up to 5 users
- Applications are always up to date
- Microsoft support via chat or phone at no extra cost
- With Skype, make calls to mobile phones and landlines, 60 minutes per month per user, for up to 5 users
- Outlook.com advanced security, no ads, and 50 GB mailbox for up to 5 users
- Licensed for home use
Office 365 Personal
- Cost: $69.99 per year / $6.99 per month
- Desktop versions of Office 2016applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook, plus Access and Publisher for PC only
- One license covers 1 PC or Mac
- Optimized Office experience on 1 tablet and 1 phone
- File storage and sharing with 1 TB of OneDrive storage for 1 user
- Applications are always up to date
- Microsoft support via chat or phone at no extra cost
- With Skype, make calls to mobile phones and landlines, 60 minutes per month for 1 user
- Outlook.com advanced security, no ads, and 50 GB mailbox for 1 user
- Licensed for home use
Office Home & Student 2016 for PC
- Cost: $149.99 one-time purchase
- Desktop versions of Office 2016 applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote
- One license covers 1 PC
- Licensed for home use
Office 365 Business Options
- Cost:See Complete Breakdown
Office 365 Enterprise Options
- Cost: See Complete Breakdown
Microsoft OneNote is a note-taking application that can be used on a computer, tablet, or via a web browser. It has a variety of features that make it helpful for teaching, whether in a classroom or remotely.
Handwriting Support
Engineering Professors Maggie Delano and Erik Cheever have used OneNote with an Apple iPad and Microsoft Surface laptop for in-class notes. OneNote supports using a stylus to write on a tablet, so it is possible to produce handwritten notes or start with a pre-made presentation or images and add annotations.
For a great example, see Professor Delano’s Engineering 15 OneNote notebook. Thank you to Professors Delano and Cheever for sharing their expertise.
Organization
OneNote is organized like a notebook with the ability to create pages and groups of pages called sections. You can create a notebook for each class with a section for each topic or lecture and then multiple pages within each section containing content for that topic.
In-Person or Remote
When teaching in person most faculty connect the tablet to the projection system. When teaching remotely, it is possible to share the tablet screen for live sessions in Zoom, record a screen capture for asynchronous viewing, or share the completed notes as a webpage or PDF.
Share Automatically via OneDrive
Microsoft’s OneDrive is similar to Google Drive. It is possible to set up a OneNote notebook to automatically save to OneDrive and then share the notebook link with students. Once the link is set up, the notebook is immediately available to students online. When you are done with a class, just close the application. The notebook is synced to OneDrive and your students can access via a browser.
Class Notebook
Onenote Lab Notebook
The online features of OneNote allow faculty to create a personal page for each student within the class notebook available only to the individual student and the teacher, a collaboration space editable by all members of the class, and a content library for instructors to distribute information to students. Chemistry Professor Kathryn Riley has a great screencast on how to use OneNote collaboration tools for classroom or lab use.
Get Started
OneNote is available to all Swarthmore employees as part of the Office 365 suite. Visit the software installers page for Office 365 to gain access and install on your computer. To install on a tablet, download from the App Store.
Onenote Lab Notebook
Onenote Lab Notebook Online
More information
For additional information, see the Teaching with Tablets Program page or get in touch with your Academic Technologist. Maggie Delano has also generously offered to discuss using an iPad or OneNote with any Swarthmore faculty with questions.
Appreciation
Onenote Notebooks Files
Thanks to the Engineering Department, especially Maggie Delano, Erik Cheever, Allan Moser, and Mike Piovoso for working with ITS and sharing their experiences with their use of tablets in class.