One of my numerous proposals from the Redesigning Biology Stack Exchange Bio.Meta post was to create a template or instruction guide for species-identification questions.
- The goal is to improve the inclusion rate of info necessary for typical ID questions.
User @Mad-Scientist suggested in chat that we could just create a "tag warning" (i.e., tag-specific pop-up) for specific tags.
- See here and here to learn more about these pop-ups; or to visualize in real time, go to stackoverflow.com, ask a question and add the sql tag. There'll be a popup that adds some hints.
Below is my proposal for the text to be included in a species-identification tag warning:
Species Identification questions get better answers if they include...
- One or more clear Photos.
- A Location where the specimen was found (city/region and/or habitat).
- An approximate Size (or photo indicating size).
- Additional useful info (e.g., behavior, time of day/year, etc...)
- Indication of prior research performed by the asker.
- A tag for a specific taxanomic group (e.g., botany, entomology, arachnology, ornithology, ichthyology, etc...)
Some tag specific hints:
botany: try to include photo of leaf, stem/trunk, and flower/fruit. All are often needed for accurate ID.
entomology/arachnology: there are many similar looking species. Add close-up photos (from multiple angles) if possible!
ichthyology: please indicate whether you found the fish in marine or fresh water.
mycology: please include photo of top and bottom of mushrooms!