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When it comes to data management, probably almost everyone knows about ‘horror stories’ from everyday life. This year, the FDM@UBT team is again using the time around Halloween as an opportunity to draw attention to some pitfalls in research data management – in best case to avoid the spooky moment.

The melted knowledge

It was a rainy autumn day at the university of Bayreuth and students were hurrying across the campus with their heads down. On the third floor of the chemistry building, T., a dedicated doctoral student, was working on his research project. His bright red lab book, filled with handwritten notes, sketches and data he had collected over months, was his indispensable companion. Without these records, it would be impossible to understand or continue his work. On this day, a particularly important experiment was about to take place, that would determine the success of his entire research project…

T. carefully prepared his workstation and set out all the chemicals. Before he wanted to begin, he took a trip to the coffee machine. On the way back – already deep in thought about his experiment – he stumbled. The entire contents of the coffee cup spilled over his lab book and the dark liquid spread everywhere. In a desperate attempt to save what could still be saved, he also accidentally knocked over his already prepared chemicals. A torrent of different liquids poured over his notes and mixed into a sinister, bubbling mixture. T. could only watch helplessly as months of hard work were destroyed before his eyes. The soft dripping of the liquids was the only sound in the oppressive silence of the laboratory.

In order to prevent such a "horror scenario" from becoming reality for your own research projects, it is possible to use Electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs), for example. Further information on the functionality and use of ELNs can be found under "During the project".

If you have any questions on this topic, please feel free to contact FDM@UBT

Note: The illustration and text exerpts were created using methods of artificial intelligence.