Methodology

Methodology

The 20 criteria that drive the score

CollMan turns the qualitative question "how valuable is this collection?" into a structured score based on 20 weighted criteria. Each criterion here is shown with what it measures, why it matters and a worked example you can apply to your own collection.

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Jump to a criterion
1

I. Composition of the collection:

Choose one 5 options
Why this matters
A focused, taxonomically coherent collection has greater scientific utility than a random mix of specimens — researchers can answer specific systematic, ecological or biogeographic questions.
Options
a) Random, mixed, including different taxa without the explicit nature of the collection b) Mixed, including different taxa, targeted c) Uniform from a taxonomic point of view, but based on high-ranking systematic units (e.g. different groups of arthropods) d) Uniform from a taxonomic point of view, based on one taxonomic group (e.g. butterflies, mites, birds) e) Uniform specialized collection (e.g. phytopathic mites on insects, groupings of arthropods in bird nests, saproxylic insects, soil fauna)
Example
A drawer of mixed butterflies and beetles scores low. A focused Coleoptera collection scores higher. A specialised collection of saproxylic beetles from dead-wood ecosystems scores highest.
2

II. Evidence specimens in the collection:

Choose all that apply 4 options
Why this matters
Voucher specimens cited in scientific publications anchor a collection in the published record and make it an essential reference for any taxonomic revision.
Options
a) None b) Published in the 21st century c) Published in 20th century d) Published in the 19th century and earlier
Example
If 50% of your specimens are referenced as type material in 19th-century monographs, your collection is indispensable for re-examining those taxa today.
3

III. Differentiation of the protection status:

Choose all that apply 5 options
Why this matters
Collections with rare, protected or red-list species have legal, ecological and heritage value beyond ordinary specimens — and become harder to acquire over time.
Options
a) Only common species with no conservation status b) Red list species c) Species included in Natura 2000 annexes d) Protected species e) Species on the CITES list
Example
A herbarium containing CITES-listed orchids (e.g. Cypripedium) carries heritage significance beyond what common species do.
4

IV. Origin of specimens:

Choose all that apply 5 options
Why this matters
Geographic breadth signals scientific reach. Specimens from places that are hard to reach — or politically/geographically inaccessible today — are effectively irreplaceable.
Options
a) Only from one location b) From several locations nationwide c) From several countries on one continent d) From several continents e) From places difficult to reach
Example
Specimens collected from deep-sea trenches, Antarctic ice shelves or remote tropical islands represent unique research opportunities that cannot be casually repeated.
5

V. Protection status of the specimen place of origin:

Choose all that apply 5 options
Why this matters
Specimens from strict-protection areas often come with rigorous provenance documentation and are unrepeatable — re-collecting there is restricted or impossible.
Options
a) Unprotected area b) Lower-level protected area (ecological site, protected landscape area, landscape park) c) NATURA 2000 site d) Nature reserve e) National park
Example
Insects collected in the strict-protection zone of Białowieża National Park before recent logging events cannot be re-collected; those specimens are baseline data for forever.
6

VI. Collection creation length:

Choose one 5 options
Why this matters
A long collection-building span captures temporal change in species composition, allowing comparisons across decades — the bedrock of historical ecology.
Options
a) Up to a year b) 2 years c) 3-5 years d) 6-10 years e) Over 10 years
Example
A 50-year time-series of pollinator specimens documents the decline of bumblebees tied to changing land use.
7

VII. Historical value of the collection (beginning of collection creation):

Choose one 5 options
Why this matters
Pre-industrial and pre-DDT specimens establish baselines that no contemporary fieldwork can recover. The older the collection, the rarer the baseline.
Options
a) Created in the 21st century b) Created in the 20th century since 1946 c) Created in the 20th century until 1945 d) Created in the 19th century e) Created earlier than the 19th century
Example
Specimens collected in the 1880s by amateur naturalists provide irreplaceable pre-pollution and pre-pesticide baselines.
8

VIII. Liaison with individuals and institutions:

Choose all that apply 3 options
Why this matters
Provenance from notable scientists or institutions adds cultural and historical value, attracting interest beyond the strictly scientific.
Options
a) The collection is not associated with famous people and historical figures b) The collection is associated with famous people and historical figures c) The collection is associated with a scientific, museum or other institution
Example
A herbarium with sheets annotated in the hand of Linnaeus carries both scientific and cultural significance — and substantial public-museum value.
9

IX. Deposition place of collection:

Choose one 4 options
Why this matters
Long-term institutional storage with climate control and pest monitoring is what keeps specimens viable for centuries. Private collections tend to deteriorate.
Options
a) In private hands b) In an institution that does not deal with science and museology c) In a research institution, university d) In a museum
Example
A national-museum vault with humidity control and active integrated pest management preserves specimens that a basement collection would lose within decades.
10

X. Does the collection have any specimens:

Choose all that apply 5 options
Why this matters
Specimens from areas under environmental stress — high human pressure, urbanization, deeply altered habitats, biodiversity hotspots — document irretrievable conditions.
Options
a) Coming from areas subject to high anthropopressure b) Coming from areas subject to low anthropopressure c) Coming from areas subject to urbanization d) Coming from places with a radically changed environment (e.g. specimens from the bottom of dam reservoirs from the period before their creation) e) Coming from hotspots
Example
Beetles collected from a wetland before it was flooded for a reservoir provide a snapshot that can never be reproduced.
11

XI. Presence of typical specimens in the collection:

Choose one 3 options
Why this matters
Type specimens (holotypes, paratypes) are the physical reference points for species names. Their presence makes a collection a research destination, not just a holding.
Options
a) None b) 1-50 c) More than 50
Example
A herbarium with five holotypes attracts botanists from around the world for taxonomic study.
12

XII. Number of species represented by typical specimens:

Choose one 4 options
Why this matters
Type specimens spread across many species multiply the collection’s impact: each one is a citation magnet in its own taxonomic literature.
Options
a) None b) 1-10 c) 11-50 d) More than 50
Example
Type specimens of 25 different orchid species turn a herbarium into a regional reference centre for the entire genus.
13

XIII. Taxonomic diversity in the rank of the cluster - Divisio (botany) or type - Phylum (zoology) in the collection:

Choose one 3 options
Why this matters
Broader taxonomic representation (multiple Divisio in botany, multiple Phyla in zoology) supports cross-group comparative ecology and biogeography.
Options
a) 1 taxon b) 2-5 taxa c) More than 5 taxa
Example
A collection covering Arthropoda, Mollusca and Chordata enables comparative studies of community assembly across very different lineages.
14

XIV. Endangered and endemic taxa status of in the collection:

Choose all that apply 4 options
Why this matters
Specimens of extinct, endangered, endemic or rare species are by definition irreplaceable — they ARE the species in scientific terms.
Options
a) None b) Endangered and rare c) Endemit d) Extinct (in the Holocene)
Example
A few Aurochs (Bos primigenius) bone fragments in a collection are priceless: the species went extinct in 1627 and every remaining specimen is uniquely informative.
15

XV. Collection digitization level:

Choose one 5 options
Why this matters
Digitization multiplies a collection’s research reach. A specimen in a closed drawer is invisible globally; the same specimen with an image and a GBIF-published occurrence record is consulted worldwide.
Options
a) None b) Up to 10% c) Up to 30% d) Up to 50% e) Up to 75%
Example
A fully digitized collection (images + GBIF-published data) is referenced thousands of times per year by researchers who never set foot in the museum.
16

XVI. Degree of marking of specimens in the collection to the species level:

Choose one 5 options
Why this matters
Identified specimens are research data; unidentified specimens are storage problems. The proportion identified directly drives utility.
Options
a) Specimens to the species level were not marked b) Less than 20% of the specimens in the collection were marked c) 20-50% of the specimens in the collection were marked d) 51-75% of the specimens in the collection were marked e) More than 75% of the specimens in the collection were marked
Example
10,000 unsorted beetle specimens are scientifically inert. 10,000 species-level-identified specimens form a research dataset.
17

XVII. Taxonomic level to which the specimens are marked*:

Choose all that apply 4 options
Why this matters
Identification depth determines what questions the collection can answer. Family-level is useful for community ecology; species-level opens taxonomy, biogeography and conservation.
Options
a) No markings at all or only above family level b) To family level c) To the type level d) To species level
Example
Specimens identified only to family help ecologists. Specimens identified to species enable taxonomic revision and conservation listings.
18

XVIII. Overall conservation condition of specimens:

Choose one 4 options
Why this matters
Physically degraded specimens lose research value rapidly: DNA fragments, morphological characters disappear, labels fade.
Options
a) Bad b) Medium c) Good d) Very good
Example
An entomological collection stored without naphthalene that has been attacked by museum pests has lost most of its data potential.
19

XIX. Documentation status:

Choose one 3 options
Why this matters
A specimen without label data — date, locality, collector, habitat — is scientifically almost useless. Documentation is what turns a specimen into evidence.
Options
a) None b) Up to 75% c) More than 75%
Example
A bird study skin with full label data (date, locality, collector, habitat) is 100× more valuable than the same specimen with no label.
20

XX. Number of specimens in collection:

Choose one 4 options
Why this matters
Sample size sets the statistical and comparative power of the collection. Small collections support taxonomy; large ones support population biology and population genetics.
Options
a) 1-50 b) 51-200 c) 201-1000 d) More than 1000
Example
A collection of 5,000 dragonfly specimens supports population-genetic studies; 50 specimens support only taxonomic descriptions.

Open knowledge base

The methodology drives two open-data products

The same criteria-based thinking that powers CollMan's collection valuation is also behind two browse-anywhere public datasets.

Atlas of Invertebrate Distribution

A growing public Atlas of invertebrate species recorded in Polish protected areas. Built from museum collections and peer-reviewed sources, with Darwin Core compatibility for GBIF.

Browse the Atlas →

Polish Forms of Nature Protection

Reference of all protected areas registered in Poland: national parks, reserves, landscape parks, Natura 2000 sites, and other forms. Data sourced from CRFOP.

Open the registry →

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