Digital tools in research
I am a biomedical laboratory scientist, but my job includes also work as a research nurse. I use Excel on a daily basis for collecting sample data. With WeblabClinical I make laboratory referrals for research participants and from Apotti I usually check their real-time contact information when needed. Sometimes I have to check participants’ procedure date, so I know when we will receive samples for our research. On a weekly basis I use REDCap to enter patients’ research consent information into the database. We use sample tubes that have a QR code at the bottom. When we get a rack full of sample tubes, we use IntelliCode’s reader to scan it, which generates an Excel file containing the rack number and tube locations. I’m working closely with other research groups, and we use Slack for everyday communication between groups. It is possible to contact people instantly and quickly inform people about matters regarding laboratory equipment or common space.
Utilizing new Social Media tools
ChatGPT
I could use ChatGPT to help me with problem solving tasks. We have many Excel files where we use different formulas, and these can be challenging to create on your own. Sometimes I need to find information about sample processing protocols and ChatGPT could assist in finding this kind of information. Additionally, if we need to design a laboratory experiment, ChatGPT could suggest good ideas for it. I’m sure it would also be useful for making instructions or protocols clearer and more precise.
Positive aspects of using ChatGPT include its ability to generate new ideas and help construct texts, which can save time. It can also help brainstorming when you’re out of ideas. ChatGPT is ready to use when you need it. Learning new things can be easier with ChatGPT since it gives you information in instant and allows you to ask questions.
The downside of using ChatGPT is that you can’t input just anything into it, it’s not a secure platform. Users need to be aware of sensitive data and avoid sharing any confidential material. One of the biggest problems is that ChatGPT’s knowledge is limited to its training data, which means it can produce incorrect or misleading content. It cannot think like humans and may occasionally misunderstand the context.
DeepL
I would use this to translate laboratory protocols or work-related instructions. It would be good to have the most important instructions in both English and Finnish because our group is multi-lingual. I quickly tested how DeepL would translate made-up laboratory protocol to Finnish and I think it did well. It would also be possible to translate questionnaires or consent information into other languages when needed.
Positive aspect of DeepL is that it can save a lot of time in translations. It is praised for performing very fast and producing high quality translations. DeepL understands contexts and nuances, which results in more fluent translations.
The downside is that you have to check if the translations are as you want them to be. Some sentences cannot be translated so straightforwardly from one language to another. In the free version, you can only translate a limited number of characters, so the costs for the best use of this tool might be too high.
Todoist
With Todoist I could do a list of tasks for myself and a list for our group. It would definitely be easier to see what needs to be done and when. It allows you to make subtasks, which is important in order to complete bigger tasks. At the moment, my to-do list is scattered across several places.
Todoist is easy to use and the free version of it offers basic project management, including adding tasks and deadlines. It can be integrated with other applications such as Google Calendar and Slack, which is useful since we already use Slack at work. Todoist can be customized to your needs.
The negative side of Todoist is that it has so many features that it can take time for people to learn all its possibilities. To use it effectively with more advanced features, you need to subscribe, which can be costly. Although it integrates well with some applications, it might not be enough for your needs to improve efficiency as much as you want.
Mural
This application would be useful to develop our research group’s teamwork. We would benefit from it having our goals visible and tracking the results. Mural seems to be well-organized, and we would have a better overview of where we are going with our projects. The visual aspect would help everyone see the overall picture clearly.
Mural’s best abilities are that you can make your projects more visual. You can create mind maps, diagrams and flow-charts, as well as work on a shared canvas. The interface is user-friendly and intuitive, so it’s easy to adapt. Being a cloud-based tool it is always available to use. Mural is GDPR compliant, and it can be integrated to Microsoft Teams, Slack and Google Drive.
A negative side of Mural is that the free version might not include all the features you want. As a cloud-based application, it may occasionally experience performance issues or service disruptions.
I have considered using LinkedIn before. It would allow me to network with professionals I already work with, making collaboration easier. and I could do polls regarding research set ups and protocols. I could create polls regarding research setups and protocols, getting prompt answers about what others have used in their laboratory experiments. In LinkedIn I could follow the research topics and publications and stay up to date in my field.
Positive sides of LinkedIn are that you can reach people around the world, share content and stay up to date in your own field. It is a place to build your professional network and find employees.
The negative aspects of LinkedIn are that some of your information is available to all users. Your personal and professional data can be visible to third-party applications and advertisers. As a place for job hunting, you might receive job offers even if you’re not actively looking.
I chose tools that would help widen my professional networking and help me with my everyday tasks. With these applications I could solve problems faster and use my time more efficiently. There are many applications to choose from, but I selected these based on my own work and work environment. I will try to see how well these fit in my work and evaluate if they can be used more widely at my workplace.
Successful use of platforms
Applications need to be structured and customized to your needs. They have to be easy to use so that people engage in using them. If it’s too complicated, people can be frustrated and not make the best use of it. Providing instructional videos and tutorials can help users make the most of the application. It is also important that it integrates well with other platforms used. Applications need to function well and there have to be measures to ensure their security. Platforms need to be updated regularly and there has to be help available for troubleshooting.
Self-evaluation
This task opened my mind to all the aspects of social media tools. Now I know what to consider when thinking about using new applications at my workplace. It’s important to assess if the platform is suitable for your needs and how much resources it might need to maintain. I also found new tools to improve my workflow, which definitely increases my efficiency. I hadn’t thought about applications from this perspective before, so this part of the course was very useful to me.