How to contribute

Adding any content starts from clicking on the Content button (upper left corner). A list of different types of content will appear. As a regular content contributor, please add only Taxon Descriptions and Images. Other types of contributions are certainly welcome, but please let’s discuss them first. Do not add Page, that’s for the site administrator.


TAXON DESCRIPTION

In the Content list, find Taxon Description, and click on Add. There are three fields to fill out, and a map:

1)      Taxonomic name (the first row on the site): start typing the species (or genus) name, and a list will appear from which you will select. Click on your species.

NOTE:  If your species does not appear, then it is not present in the current taxonomy. Please check the Xyleborini database at http://xyleborini.speciesfile.org/ - maybe it is a species that is currently not considered valid, or has been synonymized. In that case, please add your information to the currently valid species name. If you have further questions, please contact Jiri (hulcr@ufl.edu).

2)      Biology: Add anything you want about the ecology, biology, or economic importance of your species. Always include the author name!

  • Most often, you are going to be the author, and often the piece of information will be unpublished, so your text will begin as in this example: “Hulcr, unpubl.: I have observed this species…”.
  • Please feel free to add information from literature! In that case, your text will begin as in this example: “Wood & Bright, 1992: This species…”. Under your text, please add the full citation.
  • NOTE: Currently we are adding references directly into the text, because the Bibliography function is not yet working properly in the ScratchPads backend.

3)      Diagnostic description: Anything related to morphology or indentification of your current species. Please use the same format as for Biology. Always include the author, even if it’s just yourself, and an unpublished small observation! An example: “Hulcr, unpubl.: This species can be distinguished from other Xyleborini by its shagreened (matt, not shining) elytral declivity.”

4) The map may be a nice thing to update, this is up to the individual contributors.

NOTES: 

  • Please let's focus on species that have little or no information associated with them. Some common or economically important species will already have lots of information or images - please do not repeat information that somebody else already provided, and do not add images to well-illustrated species.
  • Information transcribed from literature is very welcome! Always provide the original author please. Also note that a lot of published information is already present, since my student had that as an assignment.

IMAGES

Pixel dimension (resolution): Images can be of any pixel dimensions. Even small and blurry images are welcome if there are no other images for that particular species. Greater resolution is always preferred.  

Shape: Images have to be approximately square in shape. If they are much longer than wide, they will not fit the display window.

The image upload process:

Step 1: Uploading image files

  • Start in Content, scroll down to Files, Image, and click on add on the far right.
  • A Media Browser will appear. Choose the Upload tab, and click on +Add files.
  • A dialog will open, which will let you select any number of beetle images on your computer. Select them and click Open
  • Back on the website interface, click the button Submit

Step 2: Assigning images to species

  • Back to Content -> Files -> Image, Click View on far right. You will see a list of all your images.
  • Choose an image that has not yet been connected to a species in this database, and click Edit
  • Fill out these three fields:”       

              1)      NAME: The default is the file name, so please overwrite it with the species name or something nicer.

              2)      TAXONOMIC NAME (scroll down for this one): start typing the species (or genus) name, and a list will appear from which you will select. Click on your species.

                          NOTE:  If your species does not appear, then it is not present in the current taxonomy. Please check the Xyleborini database at http://xyleborini.speciesfile.org - maybe it is a species that is currently not considered valid, or has been synonymized. In that case, please add your information to the currently valid species name. If you have further questions, please contact Jiri (hulcr@ufl.edu).

              3)      CREATOR: Please fill in the name of the author of the image (typically your name).

There are other fields that you may or may not want to fill out, such as DESCRIPTION, but I don’t plan to transfer those to EOL.

Thu, 2012-09-13 15:00 -- hulcr
http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/5b6e64f221121c449769b8f7faa441c7.jpg?d=https%3A//xyleborini.myspecies.info/sites/all/modules/contrib/gravatar/avatar.png&s=100&r=G
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith