Specimen Barcode and Labeling Guide: Difference between revisions

The text printed on the barcode label is not always just the encoded characters. Sometimes the barcode label includes other identifying information about the specimen, such as institution and collection name. The barcode designer should pay special attention to distinguishing between the code itself and the information printed on the label. A good barcode label contains the least amount of high quality information possible. This insures that you do not have to replace the specimen’s barcode every time information (like taxon) changes. A unique identifier, possibly with the specimen collection code and institution code, is a good start. It might be helpful to reproduce the code itself in visible human-readable characters, but care should be taken not to add extraneous text that might be confused with the encoded information. This duplication of information '''can be useful''' when a barcode reader is not handy for checking a specimen against its database record.

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