Be a Collaborator
How to become a SealifeBase Collaborator ... and Why
A large project such as that which led to SeaLifeBase generates enough credit to share among project collaborators. SeaLifeBase was designed to make explicit the role played by each collaborator and acknowledges contributions via the collaborator pages. Here are some explicit procedures exist in SeaLifeBase to give credit to collaborators:
- colleagues who supply data (in form of reprints, reports, unpublished theses, etc., or as SeaLifeBase data entry forms) are listed (via their collaborator number) as 'Entered:' on the 'stamp' in the Status section of the appropriate table. Also, their name appears in the Acknowledgements section of each SeaLifeBase species synopsis;
- colleagues who verify SeaLifeBase products (e.g. Synopses, country lists, common names) appear through their number as 'Checked:' on the stamp of the appropriate tables, and their name also appears on the last page of SeaLifeBase synopses.
- colleagues who supply a substantial database for distribution through FishBase have their own table (such as the MASSCONVERSION table for Brey (2012)).
We believe that colleagues who opt to collaborate with us, i.e., opt to see some of their work incorporated into SeaLifeBase, benefit because:
- their published work will reach more people;
- their work will become integrated into a larger whole, and thus become easier to assimilate, while remaining theirs in terms of scientific credit;
- the integration in SeaLifeBase involves checking of at least the scientific names and generally leads to the identification of errors which, while easily corrected, may not have been noticed otherwise;
- also, once a publication is linked to a SeaLifeBase species, it is automatically updated if the scientific name changes. For example, the many publications written on Physeter catodon are now easily found under Physeter macrocephalus.
Also, we believe through collaborations we can improve our tables and coverage, and hence SeaLifeBase.
If you wish to become one of our collaborators please contact us or please provide the following information and click submit.