Submission Instructions

Case studies can be submitted by clicking on the “Create a Case Study” link in the right hand navigation box titled “Using Case Studies”. Each section of the abstract should be no more than 1600 characters, including spaces. Each barcoding project should be submitted as a single case study. Collaborators on a project should not submit duplicate case studies.

Case studies are made up of the following sections:

  • Title: A short clear title that identifies the scope and/or purpose of the barcode project or the applied problem that the barcode data will address (e.g., “Taxonomic Revision of Caribbean Polychaetes using DNA Barcoding ", or “Border Control of Fruit Flies using DNA Barcodes”).
  • Scope: Please specify the taxonomic group(s) and/or geographic area addressed in the project. Approximately how many species and specimens will be involved in the project? If possible, estimate the duration and cost of the project.
  • Purpose: Explain the potential importance of the project to an identified user group (e.g., systematists, ecologists, foresters, commerce, security). If the project will improve our knowledge of a group’s taxonomy, why is this taxonomic group or project a high priority? If the project addresses an applied problem, why is DNA barcoding an appropriate and necessary tool?
  • Background: Is this the first barcoding project on this taxonomic group or in this geographic area, or has DNA barcoding has been done for this group or in this area before? If the latter, was it fully successful or are there still questions of methods, sample sizes, geographic coverage, interpretation of results, etc. Please describe the prior results briefly.
  • Logistics and Methodology: How will the specimens be obtained? Is the material already curated as museum specimens, or have they been collected and are awaiting processing, or are you planning new collections? Where will the DNA sequencing and data management/analysis be done and by whom? Is this lab already doing DNA barcoding or will they need to acquire new equipment and expertise for the project? If your project is looking for specimens, taxonomic expertise, lab facilities or other critical components, please outline your needs in this section.