Skip to main content

UW-Madison Integrated Specimen Portal

A Gateway to Biodiversity, Human, and Environmental Specimens from our Natural History Museums

Guidelines for Acceptable Use of Data


Recommended Citation Formats

Use one of the following formats to cite data retrieved from the UW Natural History Museums network:
General Citation:
UW Natural History Museums. 2024. http//:symbiota2.math.wisc.edu/uw2020/portal/index.php. Accessed on December 24.
Usage of occurrence data from specific institutions:
Biodiversity occurrence data published by: <List of Collections> (Accessed through UW Natural History Museums Data Portal, http//:symbiota2.math.wisc.edu/uw2020/portal/index.php, YYYY-MM-DD)

For example:
Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and New York Botanical Garden (Accessed through UW Natural History Museums Data Portal, http//:symbiota2.math.wisc.edu/uw2020/portal/index.php, 2024-12-24)

Occurrence Record Use Policy

Images

Images within this website have been generously contributed by their owners to promote education and research. These contributors retain the full copyright for their images. Unless stated otherwise, images are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) Users are allowed to copy, transmit, reuse, and/or adapt content, as long as attribution regarding the source of the content is made. If the content is altered, transformed, or enhanced, it may be re-distributed only under the same or similar license by which it was acquired.

Notes on Specimen Records and Images

Specimens are used for scientific research and because of skilled preparation and careful use they may last for hundreds of years. Some collections have specimens that were collected over 100 years ago that are no longer occur within the area. By making these specimens available on the web as images, their availability and value improves without an increase in inadvertent damage caused by use. Note that if you are considering making specimens, remember collecting normally requires permission of the landowner and, in the case of rare and endangered plants, additional permits may be required. It is best to coordinate such efforts with a regional institution that manages a publically accessible collection.