# Correcting Research Grade Requirements for Collected Specimens **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [March 13, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/correcting-research-grade-requirements-for-collected-specimens/782 "2019-03-13T15:49:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tuftedparidae](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tuftedparidae/32/1505_2.png) [@tuftedparidae](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tuftedparidae)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/correcting-research-grade-requirements-for-collected-specimens/782/1 "2019-03-13T15:49:30Z")
I tend to not post pictures of my collected insects, but sometimes I forget to take a picture before I catch it in the field. I have noticed that the location is marked inaccurate, even though I marked the location as the place where I collected said insect. On the other hand, I have noticed that other collectors–often those who are doing the collecting for a school project–will mark the location as their own home (One time someone uploaded a water bug in a location that has no water). Is there a correct way iNat users should post collection photos and/or iNat users should deal with the research quality of collected observations? ---
**Author:** ![loarie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/loarie/32/7_2.png) [@loarie](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/loarie)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/correcting-research-grade-requirements-for-collected-specimens/782/2 "2019-03-13T16:25:23Z")
If the date and location reflect where the organism was collected (as opposed to the captive date/location where it was photographed) then the “Date is accurate” and “Location is accurate” quality metrics should be given a thumbs up. ---
**Author:** ![jdmore](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jdmore/32/1116_2.png) [@jdmore](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jdmore)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:31pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/correcting-research-grade-requirements-for-collected-specimens/782/3 "2019-03-13T19:31:44Z")
So do you also advocate the converse, that if date and location reflect where the photograph was taken (and it is a collected specimen), then “Date is accurate” and “Location is accurate” should be thumbs down? Only the first, live encounter with the organism “counts”? ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/correcting-research-grade-requirements-for-collected-specimens/782/4 "2019-03-13T19:35:58Z")
Not always possible to tell, since they might have collected it in the area just outside the building…or inside. For unlikely-to-have-been-collected-at-the-location/date specimens—e.g. organisms with specific habitat affinities with a GPS pinpoint inside of a large university building or a specimen that looks like it was collected years ago—yep, we should vote down location and/or date in the Data Quality Assessment area. Since at this point users aren’t notified when those items are voted down, always best to leave a comment too. ---
**Author:** ![jdmore](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jdmore/32/1116_2.png) [@jdmore](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jdmore)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/correcting-research-grade-requirements-for-collected-specimens/782/5 "2019-03-13T19:40:39Z")
Thanks. I wonder if that needs to be spelled out more clearly as a policy somewhere in the user guidance information? Or have I just missed it before? The general “encounter between observer and organism” could apply to both the live and preserved scenarios of a specimen organism. ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/correcting-research-grade-requirements-for-collected-specimens/782/6 "2019-03-13T19:43:24Z")
It sort of is here, with “butterfly mounted in a display case” [unsaid “marked with date/location of the photo taken”] vs. “your museum/herbarium specimens that are appropriately marked with date and location of original collection”. [https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/help#captive](https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/help#captive) ---
**Author:** ![jdmore](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jdmore/32/1116_2.png) [@jdmore](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jdmore)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:56pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/correcting-research-grade-requirements-for-collected-specimens/782/7 "2019-03-13T19:56:54Z")
Yeah, that addresses the Captive/Wild DQA, but not the Location and Date DQAs. ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 11:12pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/correcting-research-grade-requirements-for-collected-specimens/782/8 "2021-09-17T23:12:04Z")
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