Quick Start Guide
Video Tutorial
1. Registering an Account

An introduction to the BOLD Student Data Portal website. This video provides an overview of the system and describes how to register and create a course.
2. Submitting Data

This video follows the submission of a DNA barcode record from the specimen data all the way to the sequence. It focuses on the student interface, but it allows instructors to follow the steps students will need to undertake in order to create their records.
3. Overseeing a course

This video provides an overview of the tools available to instructors to monitor student work and participation. It also describes the steps needed in validating and approving student-generated data for publication on BOLD and GenBank.
 

Submitting New Data

There are four data components that form a complete barcode record: Specimen Data, Specimen Images, Trace Files, and Sequence Data. Each of these components should be uploaded separately and in this order. Attribution data for the work must be submitted at each step. Detailed instructions on the correct way to fill out the various fields are provided on the left side of each upload form.

Data Management Console
Data Submission Figure 4-3: The Data Management Console is central on the Main Student Console.

In order to practice the steps for uploading new data to BOLD-UNI, pre-made data packages have been created containing all the elements required in a barcode record. Try out one or more of the pre-made packages linked below:

Sample Data Package 1
Sample Data Package 2
Sample Data Package 3

New Specimen Form
New Specimen Figure 4-4: The New Specimen form is accessed through the Data Management Console of the Main Student Console. This is the first of 4 blocks of data that must be completed by the student. This page includes the Specimen Identifier, Specimen Details, Taxonomy, and Collection Details. Instructions on the correct way to fill out the various fields are given in the menu on the left side of the screen.
Upload Images Form
Upload Images Figure 4-5: The Upload Images form is accessed through the Data Management Console of the Main Student Console. This is the second of four blocks of data that must be completed by the student.  Students must first enter the correct Sample ID to connect their uploaded images with the corresponding specimen. Instructions on the correct way to fill out the various fields are given in the menu on the left side of the screen.
Upload Traces Form
Upload traces Figure 4-6: The Upload Trace form is accessed through the Data Management Console of the Main Student Console. This is the third of four blocks of data that must be completed by the student. The Sample ID field is used to connect the correct traces with the corresponding specimen. Two traces should be uploaded per record whenever possible, one for the forward read and one for the reverse read.
Add Sequence Form
Add Sequence Figure 4-7a: The Add Sequence form is accessed thought the Data Management Console of the Main Student Console. This is the final block of data that must be completed by the student. Every step MUST be followed in sequence.  Subsequent steps will only be displayed once the preceding step has been successfully completed. The first step is to connect the correct specimen to the corresponding sequence by entering the Sample ID. The uploaded traces will appear after the 'Load Specimen Info' button is pressed. These traces must be high enough in quality and long enough in order to be used to generate a sequence.
Select Traces Figure 4-7b: Next, select the checkboxes next to the two traces that will be used to generate a sequence and choose the 'Auto Sequence Assembler' button. This generates a sequence from the uploaded trace files.
Process Sequence Figure 4-7c: Once the sequence has been generated by the assembler, it is ready to be processed. This will involve three steps that will be performed automatically by BOLD: primer trimming, contamination checking, and sequence alignment. If all steps are completed successfully the sequence is ready to be uploaded to the record.