Help:A Beginner's Guide

A Beginners Guide

How to determine which function to use when creating new publication records or updating existing ISFDB records

These steps will guide you in selecting the proper entry function. After completing Step 1 and Step 2, in most cases you will then proceed to either Step 3, 4, 5, or 6, which are the four major entry functions. This guide assumes you are working from a copy of the book. It is highly recommended that you not create or update records from secondary sources until you have become familiar with ISFDB standards. These standards are easier to learn and data entry becomes easier when you've mastered working from a book-in-hand.

Step 1: Searching for a Title

Click on the Advanced Search link on the Main page of the database. Search in the Title Search Form section for the title and author as they are exactly credited on the publication’s title page. Enter the work’s title in the first field (disregarding any subtitles), and the author in the second field, changing the field-type search in the drop-down menu to "Author". (In relatively rare cases, a translated work may retain the same title as the original work. Be careful when searching for such titles if the language field is blank.) Did your search return an exact match?

Yes: Go to the Step 2.

No: Go to Step 3.

Step 2: Searching for a Publication

Click on the link to the title record that matches the type of publication you’re working from (NOVEL, COLLECTION, ANTHOLOGY, etc.) Look at the list of publications of this title in the database. Is there a publication which matches your copy in these fields: publisher, ISBN, and price (disregarding any variations in the publisher name, and any missing data of the other two)?

Yes: Go to Step 2a.

No: Go to Step 4.

Step 2a:

Click on the matching pub record and look at its date field and any printing/edition data in the note field. Does the data match your copy?

Yes: Go to Step 2b.

No: Go to Step 5.

Step 2b:

Examine each field of the record to see if there are any differences between your copy and the record. (Note: If there are major differences in the publisher, ISBN, or price fields, you probably have a different edition. Return to the title record at Step 2.) Are there any minor differences?

Yes: Go to Step 2c.

No: Do a Primary Verification of the record.

Step 2c:

Look at the Verification Status displayed under the Contents section of the publication record. Has the record been "Primary Verified"?

Yes: Go to Step 2d.

No: Go to Step 6.

Step 2d:

Click on the verifier’s name under the Status column which leads to the editor’s user page. Click on the "Discussion" tab which leads to the editor’s talk page. Leave a message on this page which explains the differences between your copy and the ISFDB record, and ask the editor to re-check their copy. If the editor is active, he/she should respond within a couple of days. If not, leave a message on the Moderator’s Noticeboard. If after the discussion, it’s been determined that an edit to the record is necessary, either you or the verifying editor may proceed to Step 6.

Step 3: Creating a New Title and Publication Record

Return to the Main page of the database and click on the appropriate link under the "Add New Data" menu. On the next screen proceed to add the appropriate data from your copy of the publication into the blank fields. In the "Source of the data" section, check the button "I own this publication", which will do an automatic Primary Verification of the record. For a highly-detailed guide to entering each field of this form go here. After entering all appropriate fields of this form, submit it for moderation. When the submission has been moderated and the new record has been accepted into the database, do a search for the new title record, click on the new publication record. Look over each field of the record to see if there have been any entry errors. If so, go to Step 6.

Step 4: Adding a New Publication Record

Click on "Add Publication to This Title" under the Editing Tools menu, and proceed to complete the blank fields to add a new publication record to the database. Some of the fields have been pre-filled. If any of these fields don't match your copy, you are entering the publication under the wrong title record. Return to the Advanced Search page to do a new search. In the "Source of the data" section, check the button "I own this publication", which will do an automatic Primary Verification of the record. For a highly-detailed guide to entering each field of this form go here. After entering all appropriate fields of this form, submit it for moderation. When the submission has been moderated and accepted into the database, return to the title record, and click on the new publication record. Look over each field of the record to see if there have been any entry errors. If so, go to Step 6.

Step 5: Cloning a Publication Record

Click on "Clone This Pub" under the Editing Tools menu. On the next page, make any appropriate changes in the fields to make the record match your copy of the book. If you have changed either the pre-filled title field or the author field, you are entering the publication under the wrong title record. Return to the Advanced Search page to do a new search. (An exception: adding a subtitle to the title field while retaining the main title is allowed.) In the "Source of the data" section, check the button "I own this publication", which will do an automatic Primary Verification of the record. For a highly-detailed guide to entering each field of this form go here. After completing the appropriate fields of the form, submit the record for moderation. When the submission has been moderated and accepted into the database, return to the title record, and click on the new publication record. Look over each field of the record to see if there have been any entry errors. If so, go to Step 6.

Step 6: Editing a Publication Record

Click on "Edit This Pub" under the Editing Tools menu. Make the appropriate changes in the appropriate field(s). If you have to change the title or author field to match your copy, you’re updating the wrong record. Return to the Advanced Search page to do a new search. If you’ve changed the price or date fields, you have a different publication. Return to the title record, and Step 2. In the "Source of the data" section, check the button "I own this publication", which will do an automatic Primary Verification of the record. For a highly-detailed guide to entering each field of this form go here. After editing the appropriate fields of the form, submit it for moderation. When the submission has been moderated and accepted into the database, return to the title record, click the link to the publication record you just edited. Look over the fields of the record which you edited to see if there have been any entry errors. If so, return to the start of this Step.