How To: Create and Edit Identifications

Documentation: Identifications Documentation

Navigation: In any catalog record, select the Edit button next to the Identifications heading.

Add, Edit or Delete an identification for a catalog record. A catalog record can hold multiple identifications and will display any previous identifications as a part of the record’s determination history. Identifications can include valid and invalid nomenclature, as well as an evolving trail of identifications as an object or observation is processed and/or examined by experts (e.g., an ant may only be identified to family when accessioned until further examination when it is identified down to species level).

How To Add an Identification

• In the Add Determination box, select the appropriate value from the ID Formula drop-down menu. If the new determination does not contain any modifiers (i.e., “sp.”, “cf.”, “x”, “?”, etc.), keep the default formula value (“A”). For redeterminations that involve more than one taxon (e.g., hybrids, “and”, “or”), an additional field will appear when the appropriate formula is selected (“Taxon B”).
• Select an identification order.

Pro Tip

If this is confusing, please read the Identification Order Documentation

• Enter the new identification in the Taxon field(s).

Pro Tip

After typing the first few characters of the taxon name in the field, click Tab to bring up a pop-up list and select the desired name to populate the field.

• Enter up to three determiner agents in the Identifier fields. If you require more than three, they can be added after the identification has been created.
• Enter the Date the determination was made.
• Record any pertinent Remarks (often for taxonomic revisions it is useful to include the reference information).
• Use the identification attributes to select a Nature of ID and/or Identification Confidence.
• Click the “Create” button to save the ID. The new determination will automatically appear below as the “accepted” ID along with the previous taxonomic determination(s).

How To Edit an Identification

• Scroll past the Add section of the Edit screen.
• Make desired edits in the available fields and click the “Save Changes” button to commit updates.
• Use the ID order drop-down menu to order the determination history for a record. In biological collections, “1” indicates that the current determination is the accepted taxon name, and will prioritize the “accepted” name as the display name for the record. You may need to play around with deleting and adding identifications to achieve the desired determination history order.

How To Delete an Identification

• To delete an erroneous determination, change the ID Order to DELETE for the identification you wish to remove.
• Click the “Save Changes” button to commit updates.

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