How to contribute

Do you have some materials to contribute? I search mainly for pictures and voice recordings of birds from New Guinea and off-shore islands. Please contact me through email if you are willing to contribute to content of websites. Only registered members can contribute so I can control for scientific accuracy. I will be happy to help with identification of any recording or photographs of bird from New Guinea.

Do you have some FAUNISTIC OBSERVATION? Please upload your observation to my partner eBirds and help us to improve scientific knowledge about beautiful birds living in New Guinea.

_________________________________________________ Information for registered content partners _________________________________________

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 code = firs 4 letters of Scientific name  e.g. MeliAnal for Meliphaga analoga and the number of picture if needed
  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 inform me in that case.
  3. CREATOR: Please fill in the name of the author of the image (typically your name).

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 inform me in that case.

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: “Tvardikova, 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: “Tvardikova, unpubl.: This species can be distinguished from Meliphaga montana by bigger and whitish nape.”

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! However, I already gathered huge amount of it, so please inform me about your proposed content and we can coordinate our work.
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith