# Certainty and uncertainty in identification

**URL:** <https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/certainty-and-uncertainty-in-identification/39875>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [March 7, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/certainty-and-uncertainty-in-identification/39875 "2023-03-07T19:10:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 65

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**Author:** ![kevintoo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/kevintoo/32/23911_2.png) [@kevintoo](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/kevintoo)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2023, 12:27am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/certainty-and-uncertainty-in-identification/39875/65 "2023-03-11T00:27:18Z")

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> [@arthur\_chapman](#):
>
> Then someone else wanting to get their ID numbers up confirms the ID without any knowledge whatsoever.

Why do you assume that is their motivation? Why do you assume they have no knowledge whatsoever? Being wrong doesn’t necessarily indicate ignorance. Sometimes it is just an error.

> [@arthur\_chapman](#):
>
> I recently had an example of someone going through hundreds of my records - common taxa like Elephants - and adding an ID to something that already had 7 or 8 IDs - why? - there is no value in that.

This topic has been discussed before. There are lots of good reasons. [https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/why-do-some-observation-receive-plenty-of-agreeing-ids/37287/30](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/why-do-some-observation-receive-plenty-of-agreeing-ids/37287/30)

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