Guidelines for Acceptable Use of Data

Use one of the following formats to cite data retrieved from the Bell Atlas network:

• While Bell Atlas will make every effort possible to control and document the quality of the data it publishes, the data are made available "as is". Any report of errors in the data should be directed to the appropriate curators and/or collections managers.
• Bell Atlas cannot assume responsibility for damages resulting from mis-use or mis-interpretation of datasets or from errors or omissions that may exist in the data.
• It is considered a matter of professional ethics to cite and acknowledge the work of other scientists that has resulted in data used in subsequent research. We encourages users to contact the original investigator responsible for the data that they are accessing.
• Bell Atlas asks that users not redistribute data obtained from this site without permission for data owners. However, links or references to this site may be freely posted.

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.

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.