Data Entry Procedures

Introduction

This section contains information on the practices for transcribing specimen data from specimens and preparing the specimen data for database entry for the Ohio State University Fish Division (OSUM). The general procedures for transcribing data are found at Data Transcription Procedures, although the focus of this document is mainly on insect specimens. Below are derivations from the OSUC data entry protocol adapted to OSUM-specific data entry needs.

Data Processing Notes

General

The information presented in this subsection is related to conventions that used after the initial data entry process. During the data processing stage of the data entry pipeline, adhere to the following conventions regarding the formatting of column specific information.

Column-specific Notes

Column Name	Description	Convention	Example
coll_method	Collecting method, technique, or tool used to collect the specimen(s)	Separate multiple collecting methods for a single record with a forward slash (/) without any spaces between the methods. The number of seines, traps, etc. used should be omitted, but use the dimensions of the method with a space separating the elements. DO NOT ABBREVIATE. Also when a size of seine, etc. is used, order the methods from the smallest to largest.	4' x 8' seine/20' bag seine; 4' x 20' 1/4" square mesh bag seine

Resources

• Specimen Data Template: File:Data Entry Template 20-Feb-2007.xls
• Data Entry Template Information