After an observation has been recorded in iNaturalist, the species identification needs to be made and confirmed in order for the observation to be useful for scientists. The gold standard is “Research Grade” observations: These are high-quality, confirmed observations that become part of global biodiversity databases.
- You can help identify observations made by other iNaturalist users by using the “Identify” tool to find all observations that need identifying. You can also click on an individual observation to identify it. New observations are being made all the time, so we always need more identifiers!
- Even if you are new to learning about the species in your area, you can help sort “unknown” observations into broad categories like “Birds,” “Plants,”and “Snails and Slugs” so that others with more experience can easily find and identify them.
- If someone suggests an identification on your observation, don’t “agree” with it unless you’re absolutely sure it’s correct. Otherwise, observations may become “Research Grade” mistakenly.