Head in the clouds: Re-imagining the experimental laboratory record for the web-based networked world

Area of Science:

• Scientific methodology
• Information science
• Digital humanities

Background:

• Current laboratory record-keeping methods are largely based on traditional paper notebooks.
• Advances in web-based communication and publication tools offer opportunities to modernize research documentation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel, web-native approach to laboratory record-keeping.
• To reimagine the laboratory record as a distributed system of interconnected research objects.

Main Methods:

• Describing a distributed model for the laboratory record.
• Utilizing the most appropriate web-based tools for housing and publishing diverse research objects (physical samples, digital data).
• Proposing the laboratory record to function as a feed of relationships between research items.

Main Results:

• The proposed distributed approach complements integrative methods by focusing on relationships between objects.
• This model facilitates a more dynamic and interconnected record of the research process.
• The approach addresses the need for a web-native laboratory record.

Conclusions:

• A distributed, web-native laboratory record system can enhance scientific documentation.
• This approach offers a flexible and robust alternative to traditional methods.
• Considerations for security and provenance are crucial for implementing such a system.