ELN vs LIMS: Which System Is Right for Your Lab?

Investing in a digital system can significantly improve your lab’s performance, ensuring seamless data integration, enhanced productivity, and regulatory compliance. Today’s most popular solutions are the Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) and Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). But which one should you get?.

Both LIMS and ELN help optimize laboratory operations and make the overall lab workflow more efficient. Still, they differ in features and are used for different purposes.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at LIMS and ELN and define their benefits and use cases. Keep reading to find out which solution best fits your laboratory needs.

ELN and LIMS: What sets them apart

Efficient data organization, regulatory compliance, high data accuracy, and traceability are among the benefits you get with either LIMS or ELN. However, these systems are designed for different needs, so it is easy to get confused when picking the right solution for your lab.

So, let’s clear up what LIMS and ELN stand for and explain the main difference between them.

What is LIMS?

LIMS is an automated platform to manage laboratory workflow. In brief, the main idea behind LIMS is to streamline sample-related management processes, such as labeling, tracking, recording, reporting, compliance, and more. These systems are perfect for quality control labs with repetitive tasks, such as environmental labs, and labs across different industry sectors, including food and beverage, biotech, material sciences, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, clinical research, and more.

Here are the core features of a standard LIMS:

• Reporting and analytics. With LIMS, labs can create customizable reports, while the system also offers tools for data analysis and visualization, helping laboratories make informed decisions and enhance performance.
• Sample tracking. From collection to disposal, LIMS ensures comprehensive tracking of samples throughout their lifecycle, providing accurate location and status updates at every stage.
• Data management. LIMS securely stores and organizes laboratory data, ensuring easy access and retrieval when needed.
• Workflow automation. By automating and standardizing laboratory processes, the software reduces manual work and enhances accuracy.
• Regulatory compliance. LIMS helps laboratories maintain regulatory compliance by providing detailed audit trails, managing standard operating procedures, and maintaining quality control.
• Reporting and analytics. With LIMS, labs can create customizable reports, while the system also offers tools for data analysis and visualization, helping laboratories make informed decisions and enhance performance.

What is ELN?

ELN is a digital version of a traditional lab notebook used to record, manage, and organize scientific data and experiments electronically. Such software focuses more on documenting the experiment itself rather than managing samples.

ELN works great when you need the flexibility to accommodate changes or capture details of an experiment, such as results, observations, or procedural notes. In addition to features like data management, regulatory compliance, reporting, and workflow automation that are also typical for LIMS, ELNs offer some unique capabilities. Here are a few of them:

• Daily lab journal. ELNs can serve as a digital lab diary to log daily activities and employee reflections in a chronological format.
• Annotations and note-taking. Users can make notes and detailed annotations within experiment records, which helps document observations and keep insights related to the experiment in one place.
• Scientific calculations. With built-in calculation tools, researchers can use ELNs to perform necessary computations directly within the notebook, streamlining data analysis and reducing errors.
• Data visualization. ELNs offer features for creating graphs, charts, and visual representations of experimental data, making it easier to interpret results and share findings.
• Discussion threads. Embedded discussion threads allow team members to communicate, provide feedback, and share thoughts directly within experiment records.
• Daily lab journal. ELNs can serve as a digital lab diary to log daily activities and employee reflections in a chronological format.

ELNs can be part of  LIMS and many companies use both systems. Still, if you’re looking to pick between either LIMS or ELN, take a look at the table below, which summarizes the key points we’ve discussed.

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So, do you need a LIMS or an ELN?

In short, if you are looking for a system to handle samples and manage sample data, LIMS is definitely your option. In case your laboratory conducts research and needs software to track and document experiments, results, and interpretations, an ELN might be a better choice.

With that said, here is a checklist to help you choose the right solution.

Choose ELN if:

• You need to document experiments and research in a flexible, detailed manner.
• Collaboration and real-time communication among team members are essential.
• You require advanced note-taking capabilities, including unstructured notes and annotations.
• Your research involves a lot of data visualization, like graphs and charts.
• Your laboratory focuses on capturing and sharing protocols and methodologies.
• You require tools for scientific calculations and data analysis within your notes.

Choose LIMS if:

• Your laboratory handles a high volume of samples and needs efficient tracking.
• Sample data integrity is crucial for your laboratory workflow.
• Your QC laboratory shares sample data with third-party vendors.
• You need a system that can directly interface with laboratory instruments to automate data collection.
• Your laboratory workflow is a set of repetitive tasks.
• Your team needs to collaborate on data and share findings across departments.

If this checklist makes you think LIMS is the way to go, consider 1LIMS. It’s a cloud-based solution that boosts sample throughput, ensures compliance, and handles all your lab operations in one place. To illustrate these benefits, let’s look at the following case study.

Polygal AG: Moving from manual processes to automated quality management with 1LIMS

Polygal AG is a Swiss company specializing in natural hydrocolloids, which are used in various industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, textile printing, paper coating, and construction.

Polygal manufactures hydrocolloids using 100% renewable and plant-based raw materials, which should be regularly tested to ensure compliance with industry standards. The company relied on a legacy database and manual QC processes, which led to high error rates, prolonged sample analysis times, and difficulties in maintaining accurate data records and ensuring traceability. Looking to improve quality management processes and accelerate sample analyses, they turned to 1LIMS.

Here is how their laboratory workflow transformed with the new cloud-based solution:

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Successful 1LIMS adoption also allowed Polygal to adopt the system across their laboratories in other countries, including Spain, Pakistan, and China, and deliver best-in-class products to their customers worldwide. You can get more details in our dedicated case study.

Need help deciding?

If you feel that your laboratory needs improvements in data management, regulatory compliance, or team collaboration, it’s definitely a good idea to invest in a system like ELN or LIMS. But keep in mind that picking the right solution (or integrating both) depends on your specific laboratory requirements, workflows, and goals for enhancing efficiency.

To assist you in this critical decision-making process, we offer a Laboratory Digitalization Consulting Service. Our experts will visit your production facility and conduct an in-depth evaluation of your current quality control processes to provide tailored recommendations on enhancing your laboratory’s digital infrastructure. This service includes a thorough analysis of your existing systems, identification of gaps and opportunities, and a strategic roadmap for implementing a digital solution to optimize your laboratory operations.

And if you want to see 1LIMS in action, schedule a demo with our team.