Identifiers help confirm IDs by agreeing with them, and an Identifier’s agreement counts for more than an Observer’s: an ID that an Identifier backs only needs a lead of two votes to be confirmed, instead of three. This guide is for Identifiers. If you’re an Observer, you can help by agreeing or suggesting an ID.
Who Can Be an Identifier
Observers become Identifiers automatically when they consistently make accurate identifications. See Understanding User Roles. There’s no separate Confirm button: Identifiers agree with IDs in the same way as everyone else.
How Your Agreement Helps
- When you agree with an Observer’s ID, it’s two votes to none with an Identifier behind it, so it’s confirmed straight away.
- When you agree with a suggestion, your vote joins the others for that ID. Once it’s clearly ahead of every other ID, the observation is confirmed as that species.
- You can’t agree with your own observation. As the observer, your own ID already counts with an Identifier’s weight, so one member agreeing with it is enough to confirm it.
- Your agreement doesn’t override other members. If others back a different ID strongly, the observation stays Unconfirmed until one ID is clearly ahead.
Agreeing on the Website
- Open the observation and check every photo, the habitat, substrate and notes.
- To back the observation’s current ID, click Agree with ID.
- To back someone’s suggestion instead, click Agree on that suggestion in the Activity section.
Agreeing in the App
- Open the observation.
- Tap Agree on the observation’s ID or on a suggestion.
What Happens When You Agree
- Your agreement is added to the activity as a vote for that ID.
- If it leaves the ID clearly ahead, the observation is marked Confirmed with a green tick. The observer is emailed, and so is the member whose suggestion it was.
- If the ID is a suggestion for a different species, the observation shows that species once it’s confirmed. The observer’s original ID stays visible in the activity.
When You Disagree
If you think an ID is wrong, suggest the species you think it is and explain why. See Suggesting a Different ID. Your suggestion is a vote for the new ID. Because an Identifier is now backing a different ID, a confirmed ID has to keep its full lead to stay confirmed, so your suggestion can reopen an observation for discussion.
When to Agree
Do agree when:
- The species is clear from the photos provided.
- The distinguishing features are visible and fit.
- The habitat and substrate are consistent with the species.
Don’t agree when:
- The photos don’t show enough detail.
- Look-alikes can’t be ruled out from photos alone.
- Microscopy or other features you can’t see would be needed.
In those cases, leave a comment asking for more photos or information, or suggest a genus-level ID and say the species can’t be identified from the observation. See Understanding Genus-Level ID.
Observers and Identifiers
| Who | What their agreement does |
|---|---|
| Observer | Adds a vote. An ID needs a lead of three votes to be confirmed |
| Identifier | Adds a vote, and an ID they back needs a lead of only two votes to be confirmed |
Your Responsibility
Confirmed records are treated as reliable. Observations confirmed with an Identifier’s backing are shared with the NBN Atlas as accepted records. See NBN Atlas Data Sharing. Please only agree when you’re confident.