What is the source of the identification in the BOLD ID Engine?
BOLD is a community-based website, so all identifications provided by the BOLD ID Engine are based on data submitted by other users of the system. In order to minimize uncertainty, the BOLD ID Engine offers four separate libraries for users to search from. These vary both in the number of records and type of data they possess. Read the descriptions offered for each library to make sure you select the most appropriate option for your search.
BOLD also offers historical database searches, so you can search as far back as 2009 and see the historical results for your search. This tool is especially useful for users trying to replicate results from previous years.
When a FASTA file is pasted into the ID Engine, BOLD compares it to all other records in the system, finding matching sequences to generate an identification. The accuracy of the identification depends heavily on the quality of the underlying data. As such, we encourage project managers to ensure the validity of the taxonomic identifications on their records.
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