New curator here, and I’m hoping to get some insight into how more experienced curators filter for flags that are actually unresolved.
Browsing the /flags/ page with conditions set to ‘resolved=no’, I often find a flag that seems like it is already resolved, just not marked as such. Definitely makes me double-check to make sure I’m not missing anything obvious.
For example, a flag was raised to change a common name - but in going to the page, that common name appears to already be added, and there are no other comments for other issues on the flag. The flag was left unresolved. (like this one)
Am I missing some reason for this, or is this just an error in it not getting marked resolved once the change is made?
Especially in cases where the change was made more than a day prior or I can otherwise reasonably assume that the other person has moved on from the flag, it feels disingenuous to mark it resolved since my username would be attributed. Is there an established way to handle this (i.e., a specific channel or way to contact the other curator to remind them to mark it resolved) to remove resolved flags from the unresolved section?
It’s hard to say without seeing specific examples but if the flagged issue is truly resolved, feel no hesitation at marking flags as resolved!
Good to know. Thank you! And, you’re right, my link to an example was a little too hidden in the post, so I updated the hyperlink.
Welcome to curation! It seems like you’re filtering correctly. Sometimes formally resolving a flag has indeed been overlooked. We’ve cleared out a lot of those in the last year or so, though, so “often” finding an open flag that seems already resolved surprises me a bit (although they certainly can be found). When in doubt, It’s always wise to tag somebody within the flag to make sure it’s ready to be marked as resolved.
The example you’ve given, for example, does not appear to me as ready to be resolved. The “history” section of the curation tab gives more clues: the flagger doesn’t believe the 1st-listed English name (the one with priority, that gets displayed) is appropriate for the species, and has added a 2nd English name (as anybody can). So that needs to be looked into. Should priority be switched? Should the 1st-listed name be deleted from the species entirely? Should it be added to the genus? Generally, it’s important not to just take the flagger’s word; one needs to do a bit of research, even if only briefly. You’re welcome to tag me on any flag you have a question on; happy to provide procedural help!
This isn’t super clear from the flag, but it looks like the user added that name and wants the current default to be removed. You can find more details in the taxon history:
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/460863/history
In general you can always ask the flagger if it has been resolved or not. If they don’t respond then you can just resolve as you see fit.
That’s good to know priority can matter as well. These are all great things to think about in situations like this, and I appreciate the input and offer for help!
Ah, that makes sense. Thank you for the link to the taxon history page as well! That seems good to check in situations like this.