Adding and Editing Specimens

The Add Specimen form captures the core descriptive information for a fossil specimen. It is intended to provide enough information to uniquely identify, organise, search and describe a specimen before adding more detailed information such as taxonomy, provenance, images, measurements and notes.

Field	Purpose
Collection code	A unique identifier for the specimen within the collection (for example FT-000001). Used for referencing specimens in documentation, labels and searches.
Title	A short descriptive title for the specimen. Typically the primary name used when browsing the collection (e.g. Polished Madagascan Ammonite).
Common name	A plain-language name for the specimen where appropriate (e.g. Ammonite, Trilobite, Petrified Wood). Useful when the taxonomic identification is unfamiliar or uncertain.
Taxonomic identification	Selects the specimen's scientific identification from the maintained taxonomy reference data. May remain "Not recorded" until the specimen has been identified.
Geological age / period	Associates the specimen with a predefined geological age or period (for example Jurassic, Ordovician or Oxford Clay Formation age entry as appropriate to the maintained reference data).
Formation or locality	Selects the geological formation, locality or collecting location from the maintained reference data to record where the specimen originated.
Country / region	Records the country or broader geographic region from which the specimen originates. Intended primarily for display and searching rather than detailed provenance.
Storage location	Records where the specimen is physically stored (drawer, cabinet, shelf, display case etc.) to aid retrieval and collection management.
Preparation type	Records how the specimen has been prepared (for example unprepared, polished, split, mounted, acid prepared, thin section etc.) using predefined preparation types.
Public record	Indicates whether the specimen is intended to appear in any publicly visible catalogue or export. When unchecked, the specimen remains private to the collection database.
Description	Free-text description of the specimen. May include notable features, preservation, appearance, observations or any general information that does not naturally belong in more structured fields.
Add specimen	Saves the new specimen to the collection.

Notes

• Several fields use predefined reference data to promote consistency across the collection
• Fields shown as Not recorded are optional and can be completed later as additional information becomes available
• More specialised information (images, acquisition details, measurements, documents and observation notes) is recorded through dedicated sections after the specimen has been created