Biological recording is the process of observing and documenting wildlife, creating valuable information that helps us understand how species are distributed, how populations are changing, and how habitats are responding to environmental pressures. Every biological record, whether made by a volunteer naturalist, professional ecologist or conservation organisation, contributes to a growing evidence base that supports research, conservation, land management, and environmental decision-making.
Biological Recording
the scientific study of the distribution of living organisms, biological records describe the presence, abundance, associations and changes, both in time and space, of wildlife.
Anyone can contribute. Whether you’re noting a butterfly in your garden, identifying fungi on a woodland walk or surveying plants as part of a conservation project, your observations can become valuable biological records when they are documented accurately and shared through recording schemes or online platforms such as iRecord.
This guide introduces the fundamentals of biological recording, explains what information makes up a biological record, and provides practical guidance to help you produce records that are accurate, useful and suitable for long-term use.
What is a biological record?
A biological record is a documented observation of a living organism, accompanied by enough information for someone else to understand what was seen, where it was found and when it was observed. Although a biological record may appear simple, it becomes far more valuable when it contains sufficient detail to support verification and future use.
A complete biological record is much more than simply identifying a species. It provides the evidence needed for scientists, conservation organisations and decision-makers to understand species distributions, monitor environmental change and inform conservation action.
Every biological record begins with an observation. However, not every observation becomes a biological record.
For example, seeing a Red Admiral butterfly while walking through a park is simply an observation. Recording that it was a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), observed on 12 July 2026 at Richmond Park, identified by you and supported by a photograph transforms that observation into a biological record that others can verify and use.
The more complete and accurate a biological record is, the more valuable it becomes. High-quality records can contribute to local and national recording schemes, conservation research, ecological consultancy, planning decisions and long-term monitoring programmes.
Biological records vary in the amount of information they contain. Some consist only of the essential details needed to identify a species occurrence, while others include photographs, habitat descriptions, abundance estimates, behaviour, weather conditions or survey methods. Although these additional details are often optional, they can greatly increase the scientific value of a record.
The Basics
A biological record is built from four essential pieces of information:
Who – The name of the recorder or determiner.
What – The name of the species, genus or family that you are recording.
Where – The location where the organism was observed.
When – The date the organism was observed.
Combining these four pieces of data produces a record of the presence of an organism at a specified time and place by a named individual, also known as a biological record.
If any of these four pieces of information are missing, the data do not constitute a complete biological record.
Example Basic Biological Record
Jane Doe looks out of her kitchen window on 18th September 2016 and notices a hedgehog in her back garden on Darwin Close (grid reference SE576506).
| Who | Jane Doe |
| What | Hedgehog |
| Where | Darwin Close (SE576506) |
| When | 15th September 2016 |
Record Resolution
Record Resolution
The level of detail contained within a biological record. The higher the resolution the more precise the record. E.g. a record specific to a date has a higher resolution than a record specific to a year. This can also be referred to as record precision.
The higher the resolution of a biological record, the more precise and therefore useful it is. You can increase the resolution of a biological record by providing more detailed information about the four basic components: Who, What, Where and When.
However, it is also important that the accuracy of a record is not compromised by increasing the resolution when insufficient information is available.
Accuracy
the quality or state of being correct or precise.
Therefore, the resolution at which data is submitted should never exceed the resolution at which is was recorded. For example, if a recorder wasn’t sure what date a record was made on, they should provide an accurate date range, month or even year rather than guessing the date for the record.
Who
The full name of the recorder and determiner is preferable so any queries about the record can be directed to the correct person.
What
The more specific the taxonomic classification, the better.
Note: whoever determines the identification (ID) should only classify organisms to a level they’re confident with.
Where
Use the most accurate geographic resolution appropriate for the record. Using the UK Ordnance Survey system, an 8-figure grid reference details that the species was seen within a 10m by 10m square. Whereas a 4-figure grid reference details that the organism was seen in a 1km by 1 km square – which may be useful for birds or other organisms that travel large distances, but not useful if it’s a record of a plant.
Note: your grid reference should not be smaller in area than your survey area (e.g. if you were surveying a 100m square field for birds, you should use a 6-figure grid reference).
When
Providing the actual date is much more useful than just the year.
Example Low and High Resolution Biological Records
“Jane Doe looks out of her kitchen window on 18th September 2016 and notices a hedgehog in her back garden on Darwin Close.”
Using the example biological record above, we can generate examples of low- and high-resolution versions of this record.
| Component | Low Resolution | High Resolution |
| Who | Friends of Darwin Close | Jane Doe (Recorder + Determiner) |
| What | Mammal | Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) |
| Where | NY0114 | NY01641419 |
| When | 2016 | 15th September 2016 |
Data Quality
In addition to improving the resolution of the four basic components, the data quality can be improved by adding more information to the biological record. Generally, the greater the quality of the record, the greater the number of ways in which it can be used and analsyed.
Data Quality
The state of qualitative or quantitative pieces of information. There are many definitions of data quality, but data is generally considered high quality if it is “fit for its intended uses in operations, decision making and planning”.
- At the lower end of the data quality spectrum, you would have a basic biological record with the four basic components.
- At the higher end of the data quality spectrum, you would have a biological record with a wide variety of components, consisting of well-categorised values.
Who, What, Where & When
The information about the basic components (Who, What, Where and When) can be enhanced to tell us more about the biological record, as well as helping the those tasked with validating and verifying the data.
Examples include:
- Providing life stage, sex and/or abundance details can help us understand more about the population and distribution of a species.
- Providing a locality (such as a site or street name) means that a grid reference can be cross-referenced.
- Detailing the names of any individuals that have confirmed the species determination for you can help with the process of verifying the record.
Some further examples of information that could expand what we know about the Who, What, Where and When regarding a biological record are provided in the table below (basic components indicated in italics and additional components indicated in bold).
How & Why
In addition, we can also provide information that explains how the biological record was made and why the species is located at that specific site at that specific time. This isn’t essential for creating a record, but it can improve the quality of the record. For example:
- Providing habitat, microhabitat, host plant and environmental conditions details can help us understand more about the ecology of a species.
- Detailing the survey methods and effort can help us establish how representative a record is of local populations.
Some further examples of information that could expand what we know about the How and Why regarding a biological record are provided in the table below.
What information should be prioritised?
The list of things that can be recorded as part of a biological record is endless. The importance of any single component of a record will vary between species groups and depend on the focus of a given survey/project/study.
For example, if you were running a survey of garden birds, one of the things that you may ask participants to record is the food that was present on the bird table/feeder that any recorded birds were using.
It’s always worth checking with the National Recording Scheme or Society for whatever group the organism you are recording belongs to in order to find out which additional information is useful for that species group. A list of National Recording Schemes & Societies is available from the Biological Records Centre website.
Example Enhanced Biological Record
Let’s return to the example we used for a basic biological record “Jane Doe looks out of her kitchen window on 18th September 2016 and notices a hedgehog in her back garden on Darwin Close.”, and add in any additional information that was available to the recorder and relevant to this observation.
| Component | Basic | Enhanced |
| Who | Jane Doe | Verified by The Mammal Society |
| What | Hedgehog | Adult Male Single animal |
| Where | Darwin Close | NY01641419 VC70 Cumberland |
| When | 15/09/2016 | 21:00 Dark (after sunset) |
| How | Chance sighting Have taken mammal ID course | |
| Why | Garden Cat food put out for hedgehogs |
Biological Recording Field Studies Guidance Note
This Field Studies Guidance Note was produced by the Field Studies Council through the FSC BioLinks project. It provides a concise introduction to biological recording, explaining the essential components of a biological record and outlining good practice for collecting high-quality wildlife observations.
Learn to record wildlife with iRecord
Understanding what makes a good biological record is only the first step. The next stage is learning how to submit your records so they can contribute to biological recording schemes, conservation projects and scientific research.
Our iRecord 101 online training course provides a practical introduction to using the iRecord platform. You’ll learn how to create and manage records, add photographs and locations, submit observations for verification, and make the most of iRecord’s features with confidence.
You’ll learn how to:
- Learn what biological recording is and how it supports wildlife research, conservation, citizen science, and environmental decision-making.
- Understand how the iRecord platform works, and confidently submit, manage, and share species records.
- Gain practical skills in collecting high-quality wildlife data, including what information to record, how to ensure accuracy, and how to avoid common mistakes.
- Develop confidence in using recording apps and tools, understanding verification processes, and contributing reliable data to recording schemes and conservation projects.
