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Related Links Form
The Related Links page records web resources associated with a specimen.
Rather than storing copies of information already available elsewhere, related links provide quick access to external resources such as museum collections, scientific papers, field notes, online databases and articles relevant to the specimen.
A specimen may have as many related links as required.
The panel at the top of the page lists all web links currently associated with the specimen in a table. The table shows the link, title and description, with edit and delete controls for each row.
If no links have been added, the page will display:
No related links recorded for this specimen.
Each link is stored as an individual record.
Enter a title, the full URL of the resource you wish to associate with the specimen, and an optional short description, then select Save link.
To edit an existing link, select the edit icon beside its row. The form will be populated with the existing details. Saving the form updates that link instead of creating a new one.
The application stores the link details as part of the specimen record, allowing the resource to be accessed later without needing to search for it again.
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Specimen | Selects the specimen whose related links are being viewed or edited. |
| Link | Shows the saved URL as a clickable link in the table. |
| Title | Records a short label for the resource. |
| URL | Records the complete web address of an external resource associated with the specimen. |
| Description | Records a short free-text note about the resource or why it is relevant. |
| Save link | Adds a new link or updates the link currently being edited. |
| Delete | Removes a saved related link from the selected specimen. |
Useful links might include:
- Museum collection pages
- Scientific journal articles
- DOI links
- Paleobiology Database entries
- Fossilworks records
- Geological Survey information
- Stratigraphic lexicon entries
- Wikipedia articles
- Field Notes Journal articles
- GitHub repositories
- Dealer listings (where still available)
- Online image collections
- Locality information
- YouTube lectures or conference presentations
The page is intentionally generic and may be used to link any online resource that provides useful context for the specimen.
- Link to authoritative sources wherever possible
- Prefer permanent identifiers such as DOIs when available
- Add links as they are discovered rather than relying on browser bookmarks
- Record multiple sources where they provide complementary information
- Review links periodically, as websites and online resources may change over time
A specimen often becomes associated with a growing body of external information during its study.
Rather than duplicating that information within the collection database, related links act as a curated bibliography, connecting the specimen to the wider scientific and educational resources that inform its identification and interpretation.
Maintaining these links alongside the specimen record makes it easier to revisit previous research, verify sources and continue investigations in the future.