Data entry tips

General instructions
  • It is extremely important not to enter replicate samples! Before entering anything, make very sure that no-one else has entered overlapping or identical data from a different source.
  • Be extremely careful to enter direct counts of individuals. Never enter relative frequencies or per-unit-effort ratios.
  • If you can't back-compute counts of individuals from frequencies or ratios, do not enter the sample!
  • Split out separate samples if multiple sampling methods were used (e.g., pitfall traps were used to collect ground-dwelling insects and malaise traps were used to collect flying insects).
  • Don't enter total counts unless the samples are extremely redundant. For example, enter separate samples if there are breakdowns for individual sites, seasons, years, or environmental disturbance categories.
  • If data are given for multiple DBH or GBH categories applying to the same trees, enter separate samples for each category. These breakdowns are scientifically very important.
  • If the data table is very large because there are numerous individual samples, you can always skip the paper. That would be better than entering totals.
  • Never, ever, ever enter counts for common or otherwise selected species only. You must only enter data for complete samples.
  • Experimental treatment data should never be entered unless the experiment had no likely effect on the actual abundances.
  • Samples from non-natural environments can be entered, but to be honest they are not likely to be used by most researchers. You might not want to spend your time entering such data.
Basic info
  • The name of the sample should be short but unique.
  • A number or brief code won't be adequate.
  • You can add something like "ground-dwelling insects" or "5 cm DBH" to the sample name if you split out the sample on the basis of the collecting method (see above).
  • Do not include the state or province name in the field, much less the name of the country.
  • Do not enter detailed locality information such as coordinates in this section.
Geography
  • Spell out the entire country name instead of an abbreviation such as USA.
  • However, enter United States instead of United States of America and Mexico instead of United Mexican States.
  • Enter United Kingdom instead of England, Scotland, Wales, Britain, or Great Britain.
  • For open ocean samples, enter Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, or Arctic Ocean.
  • The allowed formats for latitude or longitude are decimal (such as 40.1) or degrees-minutes-seconds (such as 40 6 0 or 40 6).
  • Do not enter dashes, degree symbols, double quotes, or single quotes if you are using the degrees-minutes-seconds format.
  • The altitude field is important but not required.
Environment
  • Do not enter an "Altered habitat" value if the site is almost fully recovered.
  • You are only allowed to enter one substrate because samples taken from multiple substrates should be entered separately.
  • Climate data should apply to the actual site, not the general region.
  • Directly recorded climate data applying to the site are optional but strongly recommended because (a) some important historical samples were collected before global warming was substantial; (b) generic climate data may or may not apply to pre-global warming baselines; and (c) generalized climate data for the region or interpolated data may not be relevant to the exact site.
  • MAT = mean annual temperature; CMT = mean cold month temperature; WMT = mean warm month temperature; MART = mean range of temperature; MAP = mean annual precipitation in mm.
  • Temperature values must be given in degrees Celsius.
  • Dry months should be an integer.
Methods
  • Although you can enter multiple life form categories, you must enter separate collections if life forms were collected using different methods.
  • If none of the life form names are relevant, something is probably wrong. Write to me to ask what we should do.
  • Site area should be the total area if there are multiple sites.
  • Winter, spring, summer, and autumn apply to high latitude sites; dry, wet or monsoon, and cool apply only to tropical sites.
  • Sampling method information is extremely important. Try hard to figure out which checkboxes should be selected.
  • If none of the checkboxes apply to your sample, either something is missing or something is very wrong! Again, you can write me any time to request adding checkboxes.
  • You should enter detailed descriptions of the transect configuration, nets, or traps if at all possible.
  • Minimum stem size information is required if you are entering tree survey data.
  • DBH = diameter at breast height (usually 1.3 meters, often 1.4 meters, and occasionally 1.35 meters); GBH = girth (or circumference) at breast height.