Electronic lab notebook for

Max Planck scientists

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New Support Material Available!
To download your MPG Welcome Packet please visit the How to get started tab.
To download your ELN transition guide or Labregister guide please visit the Self-training material tab.

General information

Labfolder at the MPG

Labfolder is an electronic lab notebook that allows you to organize, record and share data obtained in a laboratory on a secure platform. The Max Plank Digital Library (MPDL) licenses Labfolder via a central contract so that researchers can focus on its use instead of dealing with contracting and licensing costs. The official announcement, as well as a link to the press release, can be found here.

 

What are the benefits of using an electronic lab notebook?

Integrate all your data directly into your records
Search and filter through full texts to find entries
Customize entries by dragging and dropping different elements
Collaborate with colleagues
Create templates and protocols for recurring workflows
Set up multiple databases to organize laboratory materials
Securely encrypted via SSL and backed up regularly
To see a full list of features, click here.

 

MPG Case Studies

MPI for the Science of Light
MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology
MPI for the Science of Light

André Gemeinhardt

Doctoral Student

 

 

"We can keep a nice and organized track of our work and we are able to find things that we did in the past, even if the respective group member has left the group in the meantime."

 

 

 

Could you tell us a bit about your research and what you find exciting about it?

I am working in a research field that combines optics (microscopy, nano optics, laser technology) with biology (cellular interaction, viruses, DNA, proteins). I find it exciting that I work in a chemical, biological, and optical lab on a daily basis and combine all these fields to learn more about nature. I am working on my PhD thesis in the field of biophysics.

How does your team use Labfolder? What are the tasks that are being completed using our software?

We just started to use Labfolder in our group as an electronic lab notebook. We document our experiments and research with Labfolder. The type of work that is carried out and needs to be documented is very broad, as we have physicists, biologists, and chemists working with the tool.

How does Labfolder help your research team achieve its objectives?

We can keep a nice and organized track of our work and we are able to find things that we did in the past, even if the respective group member has left the group in the meantime. We don't need to tediously search for entries in old hardcopy lab books or end up redoing the same experiments over and over again.

Do you have any tips for other Labfolder users, to help them make sure that their research data is well organized and easily retrievable?

If you have a large group and work in different types of work, organisation can be tricky. Our experiments usually evolve around a specific optical setup. That is why we structured actual laboratory room numbers with folders and setups with sub folders. This allows to easily find notes about a certain project.

 

Additionally, we adapted the concept of a material database in Labfolder for large devices that we share within the group (like an atomic force microscope or a sputtering machine). When someone creates an entry, he can tag such an device in it. This allows for a easy search if you want to find all the things you (or also other users) did on a specific device.

MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology

Dominik Schumacher

Postdoctoral Fellow

 

 

"Starting with Labfolder was an important step in renewing our entire documentation system which allows us to distribute information in an easy way to new people in the lab."

 

 

Could you tell us a bit about your research and what you find exciting about it?

The focus of our research is to understand mechanisms that allow bacteria to adapt and differentiate in response to environmental changes. These include rapid changes in gene expression, regulation of cellular locomotion and cell cycle regulation. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we make use of genetic manipulation and fluorescence live cell imaging as well as a variety of biochemical assays. This information is a prerequisite to understand how bacterial regulate these processes in space and time.

How does your team use Labfolder? What are the tasks that are being completed using our software?

With Labfolder we have completely replaced our hand-written lab notes to a modern and sophisticated documentation system. We use Labfolder for our daily work by documenting experiments and results as well as sharing protocols within the different subgroups of the lab. Finally, we implemented Labfolder as a tool for inventory management of genetically modified bacterial strains, plasmids and proteins.

How does Labfolder help your research team achieve its objectives?

One important feature of Labfolder is that it keeps track of a lot of information. In addition it finds the single plasmid map you are looking for in many pages of documentation with its advanced search option. With this you spend less time on looking through pages manually and can spend more time on the important things in your research.

Do you have any tips for other Labfolder users, to help them make sure that their research data is well organized and easily retrievable?

We use Labfolder to organize our inventory documentation of genetic plasmids and strains. We mark single entries with tags that can be found with the search tool. These entries can then be exported as pdf documents.

 

Labfolder White Papers

Our white papers section provides important information on compliance regulations and guidelines that are typically implemented in laboratories and how Labfolder helps you to comply to these.

Go to white papers

How to get started

MPG central installation

Labfolder can be used on the central installation provided by the MPDL. All of your data will be securely stored at the GWDG. To create a new account, you must be connected to the Max Planck network. Once your account is set up, you no longer need to be connected to the network, and you will be able to log in to Labfolder from anywhere.

Create Account

 

Local server installation

Each institute also has the option to install and host Labfolder locally. If you are interested in receiving more information about setting up Labfolder on-site, then please reach out to your Account Manager Katharina Marx.

The currently existing local installations with their respective links are listed below. In order to access them, you must be connected to the MPG network and be a member of the respective institute.

MPI of Biochemistry
MPI for Multidisciplinary Sciences
MPI for Chemical Ecology
MPI for Chemical Physics of Solids
MPI for Chemistry
MPI for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems
MPI of Experimental Medicine
MPI for Infection Biology
MPI for Molecular Genetics
MPI of Molecular Physiology
MPI for the Biology of Aging
MPI for Psycholinguistics
MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics

Download your Labforward Welcome Packet!

Our Labforward Welcome Packet combines all the important information on how to set up your electronic laboratory notebook. We provide you with useful tips on how to manage your Labfolder group and organize the projects page. We also share links to learning material and an overview of all our resources and offers.

Download your Labforward Welcome Packet

 

Create a group

Within Labfolder, you are able to create a shared space, called Labfolder group. This will enable you to work collaboratively on your research questions and share common protocols with your team.

  1. Go to Manage > Groups.
  2. Click on +Add button to Add a new group.
  3. Name your Labfolder group and confirm by clicking Create.

Invite your colleagues

Group administrators have the capability to invite their team members, regardless of whether the team member has created their own accounts at the time of invitation. Once invited, your colleagues will receive an email providing instructions on how to register and/or join the group.

To invite your colleagues, please follow the steps below:

    • Step 1: Navigate to “Groups” using the navigation panel on the left side.
    • Step 2: Select the Group to which you would like to invite new members.

    • Step 3: Click the “+ Add” button and select “Invite user”.
    • Step 4: Enter the member’s email address and choose the (Sub-)Group you would like the member to be invited to. Then click “Invite”.

    • Step 5: After receiving the confirmation message, click “OK”.
    • Step 6: You can view the status of your group invitations in the group menu at any time.

Join your group

After joining your group, you can use your electronic laboratory notebook to collaborate with your colleagues in real-time. Together, you can add entries to common projects, create a shared repository of protocols, comment on each other’s data to improve troubleshooting, and even assign and receive tasks to improve lab efficiency.

 

    • Step 1: Open the email titled “You have been invited to join a Labfolder group!” from system@labfolder.com. Click on the “Accept invitation” button in the middle of the message. The link to the Labforward login page will automatically open in a new tab.
    • Login with your existing credentials. If you don’t have an account yet, simply create one using the button provided. Once signed in, navigate to “Groups” using the left-side navigation panel.

    • Step 2: Click on “Invitation pending” on the top panel.
    • Step 3: The admin who invited you and the group that you will join is stated in the dropdown window. A warning message will also be displayed if the admin of the group prevents private projects. Confirm by clicking the “Join Group” button.

Self-training materials

Self-training materials to set up your ELN for success

To get yourself acquainted with Labfolder, we recommend that you take a look at our guide. Here, you will find step-by-step explanations and animations demonstrating how to use each feature.

Go to guide

Our website also provides a helpdesk where you can find frequently asked questions. Questions are sorted by topics, but you can also use the search bar at the top of the page to find them.

Go to helpdesk

We also provide video tutorial series for Labfolder and Labregister. In these videos, you learn everything you need to know to get started with our electronic lab notebook and our inventory management system.

Go to Video Tutorials

Tips for a successful ELN transition

At Labforward, we are here to support you to successfully transition to Labfolder and have collected tips regarding all organizational aspects of the change process, how to communicate successfully with your team, and how to provide them with continued support.

Download our Tips for a successful ELN transition

 

Guide to set up your lab inventory with Labregister

We want to support you with the crucial task of lab inventory management and have created a step-by-step guideline on how to set up and maintain your inventory with Labregister.

Download Guide to set up your lab inventory with Labregister

Online trainings

Your Labfolder Account Manager

Hi, I am Katharina. As the MPG success manager I am supporting you with the optimal implementation of Labfolder by consulting you in individual introductory calls and providing you with training sessions.
Before joining Labforward, I worked in various biochemical as well as biotechnological laboratories. Starting out working with traditional notebooks before using ELNs myself, I am convinced that ELNs are the future for modern labs as they make daily work and collaboration so much easier.

Katharina Marx

In case you have any specific questions or requests, you can contact me via katharina.marx@labforward.io.

Stay informed

Labforward Live Webinars

Our team again has carefully chosen and prepared a new round of webinars. With these live sessions, you will get the opportunity to learn more about the various aspects of Laboratory 4.0

Go to Webinars

Stay Informed

If you would like to receive news about Labfolder, such as information about new updates and maintenance work on the central MPG installation, feel free to subscribe to the mailing list managed by the MPDL.

Subscribe to mailing list

Server Release Updates

To keep yourself up to date on any server updates, such as the functionalities that have been added to Labfolder and which bugs were fixed, please take a look at our server release notes.

Release notes

Contact

Labfolder’s Support Team

Labfolder’s support team is entirely composed of former scientists, understanding the struggles in the laboratory. We are happy to help you with any questions you may have about using our ELN. In order to quickly address any problems you are experiencing, we would kindly ask you to send a short description together with some screenshots to feedback@labfolder.com.

We are also the right people to contact if you have any suggestions for features that you think are missing in Labfolder. Again, please explain what functionality you are looking for and what you are tryin to achieve with this.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Our website provides a helpdesk where you can find frequently asked questions. Questions are sorted by topics, but you can also use the search bar at the top of the page to find them.

Go to helpdesk