EDIT Platform Use Case: Palm Monograph

Global monograph of a large palm genus by a group of scientists


Overlapping stages

  • Distribution of work - group work
  • Information gathering - individual work
  • New data generation - individual work
  • Content preparation for publication - individual/group work

Work outline

Distribution of work

  • Contact among specialists to define the project
  • Make list of taxa (World Checklists of Monocots – EDIT Portal)
  • Divide taxa among the scientists in the group
  • Create project online (may include email list, forum, shared specimen database, common bibliography and folder to store documents and images)

Information gathering

  • Obtain genus and species descriptions: protologues and other treatments (EDIT Portal, bibliographic databases).
  • Search literature for related information: morphology, anatomy, ecology, phylogeny (EDIT Palm bibliographic database and others).
  • Get distribution data from specimen databases (herbaria, GBIF) and taxonomic accounts
  • Obtain basic maps (vegetation, etc)
  • Determine field work sites with aid of point maps
  • Request loans of specimens

New data generation

  • Examine specimens
    • in herbaria
    • high resolution online images
  • Get molecular data (?)
  • Analyse data

Content preparation for publication

  • Input data in shared specimen database (or import from spreadsheets)
  • Adjust images (size, resolution, colour) and add metadata
  • Create point maps or update existing maps with new collection points
  • Create regional distribution maps (TDWG levels or other regions)
  • Data analyses (e.g. phylogenetic analyses)
  • Make key (?)
  • Write draft in a template
  • Prepare reference list
  • Prepare specimens lists
  • Assemble manuscript:
    • put together the drafts from the different scientists
    • write common sections, if any (introduction, etc.)
  • Submit monograph to the editorial board (as a text or pdf document) through the portal
  • If accepted, upload data in the database through the portal editor or platform tools
    • add new references, images, maps and text
    • update nomenclature and taxonomy if necessary
  • Send notification of nomenclature and taxonomy changes to the World Checklist of Palms