LBPS Recording Guide
The LBPS Recording Guide explains how to record collecting trips and matrix processing sessions consistently. Accurate and consistent recording helps ensure that LBPS collecting-frequency data, Fossil Site records and scientific information remain meaningful.
What do you need help with?
⛏ Recording a Collecting Trip
Trip details, collecting effort, finds and zero find sessions.
🔬 Recording Matrix Processing
Matrix sources, processing quantities, sieve fractions and recovered fossils.
🦴 Preservation & Completeness
Preservation, completeness and identification confidence.
Quick Recording Key
ESSENTIAL
Important for meaningful LBPS recording and collecting frequency data.
IF UNSURE
Do not guess. Record uncertainty honestly or leave an optional field blank.
REVIEW
Information that may later be checked by an LBPS reviewer.
RECOMMENDED
Improves the scientific usefulness of a record.
EXAMPLE
Shows how a field should be completed in practice.
Five things to remember
1. Record every collecting session
Including sessions where no fossils were found.
2. Record active collecting time
Do not multiply the time by the number of collectors.
3. Only count represented collectors
Only include people whose collecting effort and finds are included in the record.
4. Do not guess
If you are uncertain about a species or geological unit, record that uncertainty rather than forcing an answer.
5. Preservation and Completeness are separate
A partial fossil can still have Exceptional preservation.
How to Record a Collecting Trip
A Collecting Trip represents one period of field collecting at one locality. Record each trip separately, including sessions where no fossils were found. Consistent recording of collecting effort is important because the number of fossils found only becomes meaningful when it can be compared with the amount of collecting effort involved.
Locality
Choose the locality where the collecting session took place. If you moved to a substantially different locality during the same day, record this as a separate collecting trip.
Geological Unit
Select the most precise geological unit you can confidently identify.
If you are uncertain, choose a broader unit or leave this blank rather than guessing.
IF UNSURE
Do not select a geological unit simply to complete the field. Accurate uncertainty is more useful than an incorrect geological assignment.
Collecting Date
Enter the date the collecting actually took place.
Time Collecting
Enter the approximate amount of active collecting time for the session.
Do not multiply this by the number of collectors because the number of collectors is recorded separately.
EXAMPLE
Three people collect for four hours.
Record:
Time Collecting: 4 hours
Number of Collectors: 3
Long breaks that were not spent actively searching should normally be excluded.
Number of Collectors
Enter the number of people whose collecting effort and finds are represented by this record.
EXAMPLE
If five people were on the beach but you are only recording your own searching and your own finds:
Number of Collectors: 1
If the record includes the collecting effort and finds of all five people:
Number of Collectors: 5
ESSENTIAL
Only count collectors whose collecting effort and finds are represented by the record.
Session Type
Choose the option that best describes the main purpose of the collecting session.
General Collecting
Use for a normal collecting session where no particular fossil or method was the main target.
Targeted Surface Search
Use when deliberately searching for a particular fossil, type of material or restricted part of the exposure.
Matrix Collection
Use when the main purpose of the session was collecting sediment or matrix for later processing.
Other
Use when none of the available categories adequately describes the session. Add an explanation in Trip Notes.
Tide / Exposure
Choose the option that best describes the collecting conditions.
If tides are irrelevant to the locality, choose Not Applicable.
If you genuinely do not know the tide or exposure condition, choose Unknown rather than guessing.
Collecting Method
Select every method that made a meaningful contribution to the session.
More than one method can be selected.
EXAMPLE
A collecting session may involve both:
Foreshore Searching
and
Sieving
In this case, select both methods.
Recording Completeness
Recording Completeness describes how fully the finds from the collecting session have been entered into the LBPS database.
It does not describe how complete the fossils themselves are.
All Finds Recorded
Use when all fossil finds within the scope of the session have been recorded, including common, damaged and fragmentary material where reasonably recognisable.
Most Finds Recorded
Use when the great majority of finds have been recorded but a small amount of minor or repetitive material has not been entered.
Selected
Use when only a selection of the fossils found during the session has been entered.
Notable Finds Only
Use when only unusual, important, rare or otherwise notable specimens have been recorded.
Why this matters
A session recorded as Notable Finds Only cannot be interpreted in the same way as a session where every fossil was recorded.
Always choose the option that most accurately describes what you have entered.
ESSENTIAL
Recording Completeness is important when LBPS uses collecting records to understand observed collecting frequency.
What if I found nothing?
Please still record the collecting trip and tick:
No finds recorded during this trip
A collecting session where nothing was found is still useful scientific data.
ESSENTIAL
Do not omit an unsuccessful trip simply because no fossils were found.
Fossil Group
Choose the broad fossil group first. This helps the system narrow down the Species list.
Species
Choose a Species when you are reasonably satisfied with the identification.
Provisional Identification
If you cannot confidently select a Species, do not force an identification.
Enter something useful such as:
- Unidentified shark tooth
- Possible Striatolamia
- Indeterminate crab
A provisional identification can be corrected later.
IF UNSURE
It is better to record an uncertain identification accurately than to force a Species selection.
Total Quantity
Enter the number of specimens represented by that Find Record.
Where several examples of the same species were found during the same session, they can normally be grouped into one Find Record.
EXAMPLE
If you found 12 Striatolamia macrota teeth during one trip, record:
Total Quantity: 12
rather than creating twelve individual Find Records.
Separate Find Records can still be used where specimens need to be distinguished because of different identifications, context, scientific significance or other important differences.
Identification Confidence
Certain
The identification is effectively secure.
Confident
There is strong evidence for the identification with little reasonable doubt.
Probable
The identification is likely, but some uncertainty remains.
Possible
A tentative identification requiring further evidence or review.
Unknown / Unidentified
The material cannot currently be identified sufficiently.
IF UNSURE
It is better to record uncertainty accurately than to select a Species simply to complete the field. Identifications can be updated later.
A fossil does not receive a poorer Preservation grade simply because the complete animal is not present.
Preservation
Preservation describes the physical condition and quality of the fossil itself.
- Exceptional — outstanding preservation for this type of fossil
- Excellent — very well preserved with only minor damage or wear
- Good — clear and useful specimen with moderate wear or minor damage
- Fair — noticeably worn or damaged but useful features remain
- Poor — heavily damaged, worn or difficult to interpret
- Indeterminate — preservation cannot reasonably be assessed
Completeness
Completeness describes how complete the fossil element being recorded is.
- Complete — essentially the complete fossil element
- Mostly Complete — nearly complete with limited loss
- Partial — a substantial portion survives but is clearly incomplete
- Fragmentary — only a smaller broken portion survives
- Indeterminate — completeness cannot reasonably be assessed
Complete does not mean the whole animal.
A complete isolated shark tooth can be recorded as Complete even though the shark itself is obviously not present.
Likewise, a beautifully preserved partial crab may be:
Preservation: Exceptional
Completeness: Partial
Recording multiple specimens
If a Find Record contains several specimens, the Preservation and Completeness breakdowns must each separately total the Total Quantity.
EXAMPLE — Total Quantity: 5
Preservation
- Excellent ×2
- Good ×3
- Total = 5
Completeness
- Complete ×3
- Mostly Complete ×1
- Partial ×1
- Total = 5
IF UNSURE
If you cannot reasonably judge Preservation or Completeness, use Indeterminate rather than guessing.
Photographs
Upload clear photographs where they provide useful evidence for identification, preservation or scientific interest.
Where possible:
- keep the fossil in focus
- use good lighting
- show the important identifying features
- include more than one view where necessary
Find Notes
Use Find Notes for information relating specifically to the fossil or group of fossils represented by the Find Record.
This might include:
- unusual morphology
- unusual preservation
- precise context
- possible association with another specimen
- uncertainty over identification
- anything else not captured by the structured fields
Editing an Existing Record
If an identification changes later, edit the existing Collecting Record rather than entering the same fossil again.
You can also edit a record later to:
- improve an identification
- correct a quantity
- add photographs
- update Preservation or Completeness
- add further notes
This prevents duplicate data and keeps the find linked to its original collecting session.
REVIEW
If a previously verified Find Record is changed in a way that affects its scientific information, it may return to Awaiting Review so the updated information can be checked again.
How to Record Matrix Processing
A Matrix Processing record represents a session where collected sediment or matrix is processed to recover fossils. Recording the source, amount processed, size fractions and recovered fossils allows LBPS to distinguish matrix derived finds from fossils collected directly in the field.
Locality
Choose the locality from which the matrix originally came. This is the fossil locality, not necessarily the place where you physically processed the material.
Geological Unit
Choose the most precise geological unit that can be confidently assigned to the matrix.
IF UNSURE
Do not guess a geological unit. Choose a broader unit or leave the optional field blank if the precise source is uncertain.
Matrix Source Type
Choose the option that best describes where the matrix came from.
Self Collected
Use when you personally collected the matrix during a field collecting session.
Collected by Another Person
Use when another person supplied or collected the material.
Existing / Legacy Material
Use for previously collected material where the matrix predates the current processing session.
Source Unknown
Use when the original source or collector cannot be established reliably.
Source Collecting Session
If you collected the matrix yourself during a collecting trip that is already recorded in LBPS, link the Matrix Processing record to that Source Collecting Session.
EXAMPLE
You collect 10 kg of London Clay matrix at Maylandsea on 10 August.
Record:
10 August — Collecting Trip
Maylandsea
Matrix Collection
You then process 5 kg of it on 14 August.
Record:
14 August — Matrix Processing
Matrix processed: 5 kg
Source Collecting Session: 10 August Maylandsea trip
The remaining 5 kg can be processed in a later Matrix Processing session while still linking back to the same original collecting trip.
Processing Date
Enter the date on which the matrix was actually processed. This may be different from the date on which the material was originally collected.
Processing Time
Enter the approximate amount of active time spent processing the matrix during this session.
Do not multiply this by the number of people processing because the number of processors is recorded separately.
EXAMPLE
Two people process matrix for three hours.
Record:
Processing Time: 3 hours
Number of Processors: 2
Number of Processors
Enter the number of people whose processing effort and recovered finds are represented by this record.
If several people helped but you are only recording the results of your own independently processed portion, only count the people represented by the record.
Matrix Processed
Enter the amount of matrix actually processed during this session.
This should be the amount examined, not the total amount originally collected.
EXAMPLE
You collected 10 kg of matrix but only processed 4 kg today.
Record:
Matrix Processed: 4 kg
The remaining 6 kg can be recorded in a later Matrix Processing session when it is processed.
Matrix Unit
Choose the unit used to measure the processed material:
- kg — for matrix recorded by weight
- litres — for matrix recorded by volume
Use the same measurement method consistently where possible.
Matrix Batch Reference
Use this optional field to give a batch of matrix a useful reference.
For example:
- MAY 14-08-26 A
- Maylandsea Batch 3
- Warden 2026-01
A batch reference can be particularly useful where material from the same locality is processed over several separate sessions.
RECOMMENDED
Use a Batch Reference when you expect the same collected material to be processed more than once. This makes it easier to recognise which processing sessions came from the same original batch.
Largest Size Examined
Enter the largest particle or sieve fraction that was actually examined for fossils during this processing session.
Smallest Size Examined
Enter the smallest particle or sieve fraction that was actually examined.
Record both values in millimetres (mm).
EXAMPLE
If you examined material between 2 mm and 0.5 mm, record:
Largest Size Examined: 2 mm
Smallest Size Examined: 0.5 mm
Only record the fraction that was actually searched. Do not include finer material that passed through a sieve and was discarded without being examined.
IF UNSURE
If you do not know the fraction sizes, leave both fields blank rather than estimating them.
Processing Method
Select every method that made a meaningful contribution to recovering or examining fossils from the matrix.
The available methods are:
Hand Sorting
Use when fossils or potentially fossiliferous material are picked directly from the matrix by hand.
Dry Sieving
Use when dry matrix is separated into size fractions using sieves.
Wet Sieving / Screen Washing
Use when water is used to break down or wash matrix through screens or sieves.
Picking Under Magnification
Use when the processed residue is examined using a hand lens, microscope or other magnification.
Acid Processing
Use when acid is used as part of the preparation or reduction of the matrix before fossils are examined.
Other
Use when another processing method was used that is not represented by the available choices. Explain the method in Processing Notes.
EXAMPLE
A matrix sample might be:
Wet Sieved / Screen Washed
then
Picked Under Magnification
Both methods should therefore be selected.
Why fraction information matters
The size range examined can strongly affect which fossils are recovered.
For example, a processing session examining material down to 0.5 mm may recover very small teeth or other microfossils that would not be represented in a session where only material larger than 2 mm was examined.
Because of this, LBPS should not assume that two matrix processing sessions had equal opportunities to recover the same fossils unless their processing methods and examined fractions are reasonably comparable.
ESSENTIAL
Record the actual material examined, not simply the sieve sizes available to you.
Fossil Group
Choose the broad fossil group first. This helps narrow the Species list.
Species
Choose a Species when you are reasonably satisfied with the identification.
Provisional Identification
If the fossil cannot be confidently identified to Species, use a provisional identification rather than forcing a match.
Examples:
- Unidentified shark tooth
- Possible Striatolamia
- Indeterminate fish element
A provisional identification can be corrected later.
Total Quantity
Enter the number of specimens recovered from the matrix that are represented by this Find Record.
Where several specimens of the same species are recovered from the same processing session, they can normally be grouped together.
EXAMPLE
If 18 Striatolamia macrota teeth are recovered from one matrix processing session, record:
Total Quantity: 18
rather than creating 18 separate Find Records.
Identification Confidence
Use the same confidence system as field collecting:
Certain — identification is effectively secure.
Confident — strong identification with little reasonable doubt.
Probable — likely, but some uncertainty remains.
Possible — tentative and may require review.
Unknown / Unidentified — cannot currently be identified sufficiently.
IF UNSURE
Record uncertainty honestly. Identifications can be updated later.
Preservation and Completeness
Matrix recovered fossils use the same Preservation and Completeness system as field collected fossils.
Preservation describes the condition of the fossil itself.
Completeness describes how complete the fossil element is.
EXAMPLE
A complete isolated shark tooth recovered from matrix might be:
Preservation: Excellent
Completeness: Complete
A broken but very well preserved fragment might be:
Preservation: Exceptional
Completeness: Fragmentary
If several specimens are grouped into one Find Record, the Preservation and Completeness breakdowns must each separately total the Total Quantity.
Photographs
Upload photographs where they provide useful evidence for identification, unusual preservation or scientific interest.
For matrix finds, photographs can be especially useful for very small or unusual specimens that may later need reviewer confirmation.
Why this matters
Matrix material is often collected during a field trip and processed later. The same collecting effort should not be counted twice simply because fossils are recovered from the matrix at a later date.
LBPS therefore treats the original field collection and the later matrix processing as two linked but different activities.
The Field Collecting record should describe:
- where the matrix was collected
- when it was collected
- how long the collecting session lasted
- how many collectors were represented
- the collecting method used
- that matrix was collected
The Matrix Processing record should describe:
- when the matrix was processed
- how much material was processed
- the processing methods used
- the size fractions examined
- the fossils recovered from that processed material
EXAMPLE — Correct way to record it
You visit Maylandsea on 10 August and spend four hours collecting.
During the trip you collect 10 kg of matrix to process later.
Record a:
10 August — Field Collecting Session
- Locality: Maylandsea
- Time Collecting: 4 hours
- Collecting Method: Matrix Sampling
- Session Type: Matrix Collection
Do not record fossils that have not yet been recovered from the matrix.
On 14 August, you process 5 kg of that matrix and recover:
- 8 shark teeth
- 3 fish remains
- 1 crab fragment
Create a:
14 August — Matrix Processing Session
Record:
- Matrix Processed: 5 kg
- Source Collecting Session: 10 August Maylandsea
- relevant size fractions
- processing methods
- the 12 fossils recovered
Those fossils belong to the Matrix Processing Session.
You later process the remaining 5 kg on 20 August.
Create another Matrix Processing record and link it to the same 10 August Source Collecting Session.
This gives LBPS a clear chain:
10 August — matrix collected
↓
14 August — 5 kg processed → fossils recovered
↓
20 August — remaining 5 kg processed → further fossils recovered
Do not do this
Do not enter fossils recovered from processed matrix as though they were directly found during the original collecting trip.
That would make it appear that the fossils were found during field searching rather than through later matrix processing and could distort collecting frequency data.
ESSENTIAL
Where possible, always link self-collected matrix to its original Source Collecting Session.
IF UNSURE
If the matrix came from older material or the original collecting session was never recorded, use the most accurate Matrix Source Type available and explain anything important in Processing Notes.
Photographs
Upload clear photographs where they provide useful evidence for identification, preservation or scientific interest.
For matrix recovered fossils, try to show the specimen clearly and include more than one view where this helps identification.
Where possible:
- keep the fossil in focus
- use good lighting
- show important diagnostic features
- include additional views for very small or unusual specimens
Processing Notes
Use Processing Notes for information that is relevant to the matrix processing session but is not captured by the structured fields.
This could include:
- unusual processing conditions
- problems encountered during sieving or washing
- whether only part of a batch was examined
- observations about the residue
- unusual concentrations of fossils
- additional information about the source material
RECOMMENDED
Record anything that could help another person understand exactly how the matrix was processed or interpreted later.
Find Notes
Use Find Notes for information relating to a particular fossil or group of fossils recovered from the matrix.
For example:
- unusual morphology
- possible association with another specimen
- unusual preservation
- uncertainty over identification
- a particularly significant specimen
Editing an Existing Record
If information changes later, edit the existing Matrix Processing record rather than creating a duplicate.
For example, you might later:
- improve an identification
- add photographs
- correct a quantity
- update Preservation or Completeness
- add additional notes
REVIEW
If a previously verified Find Record is changed in a way that affects its scientific information, it may automatically return to Awaiting Review.
This allows the updated information to be checked again without losing the original record.
Deleting Records
Only delete a Matrix Processing record when the record itself was entered in error.
Where information is simply incorrect or incomplete, edit the existing record instead.
If a collecting or processing record is linked to other records, the system may prevent deletion where removing it would break the provenance chain.
Preservation & Completeness Guide
Preservation and Completeness describe two different aspects of a fossil. Recording them separately allows LBPS to distinguish an exceptionally preserved fossil from an unusually complete fossil and avoids penalising specimens simply because the whole animal is rarely preserved.
What does Preservation mean?
Preservation describes the physical condition and quality of the fossil itself.
It should be judged according to what is normally expected for that type of fossil and should not be reduced simply because the complete animal is not present.
Exceptional
Outstanding preservation for this type of fossil. Fine detail, surface features or other important structures may be unusually well preserved.
Excellent
Very well preserved with only minor damage, wear or loss.
Good
A clear and useful specimen with moderate wear, minor damage or some loss of detail.
Fair
Noticeably worn or damaged, but useful features remain.
Poor
Heavily damaged, worn or difficult to interpret.
Indeterminate
Preservation cannot reasonably be assessed.
IMPORTANT
Preservation describes quality of preservation, not completeness.
A partial fossil can therefore still have Exceptional preservation.
What does Completeness mean?
Completeness describes how complete the fossil element being recorded is.
It does not normally refer to how much of the entire original animal is present.
Complete
The fossil element being recorded is essentially complete.
Mostly Complete
Nearly complete, with only limited loss.
Partial
A substantial portion survives, but the element is clearly incomplete.
Fragmentary
Only a smaller broken portion of the fossil element survives.
Indeterminate
Completeness cannot reasonably be assessed.
IMPORTANT
Complete does not mean the whole animal.
A complete isolated shark tooth can correctly be recorded as:
Completeness: Complete
even though only a tiny part of the original shark is represented.
Example 1 — Complete shark tooth
A well preserved isolated shark tooth with an intact crown and root:
Preservation: Excellent
Completeness: Complete
The fact that the rest of the shark is not present does not make the tooth incomplete.
Example 2 — Partial crab
A partial crab carapace retaining exceptionally fine ornament and surface detail:
Preservation: Exceptional
Completeness: Partial
This is an excellent example of why Preservation and Completeness must be recorded separately.
Example 3 — Worn complete tooth
A complete tooth that is heavily water worn:
Preservation: Poor
Completeness: Complete
A fossil can therefore be complete but poorly preserved.
Example 4 — Beautiful fragment
A broken bone fragment retaining excellent surface detail:
Preservation: Excellent
Completeness: Fragmentary
Example 5 — Associated fossil material
Associated fish cranial material may have:
Preservation: Exceptional
Completeness: Partial
even though the complete fish is not represented.
Remember
There is no required relationship between the two grades.
For example, all of these combinations can be valid:
Exceptional + Partial
Excellent + Complete
Poor + Complete
Good + Fragmentary
Judge each measurement independently.
Multiple specimens in one Find Record
Where several specimens are grouped into one Find Record, the Preservation and Completeness breakdowns should each separately account for the Total Quantity.
EXAMPLE — Total Quantity: 5
Preservation
- Exceptional ×1
- Excellent ×2
- Good ×2
- Total = 5
Completeness
- Complete ×3
- Mostly Complete ×1
- Partial ×1
- Total = 5
Both breakdowns describe the same five fossils from different perspectives.
IF UNSURE
If you cannot reasonably assess a specimen, use Indeterminate rather than guessing.
For example, a Find Record containing five fossils could include:
Completeness
- Complete ×3
- Partial ×1
- Indeterminate ×1
- Total = 5