Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN)
Hash-chained electronic lab notebook with timestamped signatures and exportable audit certificates. 21 CFR Part 11-ready.
How it works
Every create, edit, signature and deletion is recorded in an append-only ledger where each entry stores the SHA-256 hash of the previous one, so any alteration to an earlier record invalidates every hash after it. Electronic signatures capture signer name, role, timestamp and a hash of the signed content. Records are stored in your browser by default and can be exported as an audit certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Is SciKeep a validated 21 CFR Part 11 system?
No. SciKeep provides Part 11-ready building blocks — hash-chained records, timestamped electronic signatures and exportable audit certificates — but it is not itself a validated system. Records are stored in the researcher’s own browser by default, which means the person being audited controls the ledger, and that fails Part 11’s central requirement for controls the record subject cannot circumvent. Full compliance requires server-side retention and access control.
What makes an electronic lab notebook tamper-evident?
Hash chaining. Each record stores a cryptographic hash of the record before it, so the entries form a chain. Altering any earlier entry changes its hash, which breaks every link after it, making the modification detectable by recomputing the chain. This proves that records have not been changed since they were written; it does not by itself prevent someone from replacing the whole chain, which is why secure retention matters.