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USE A SMELLBOOK RECORD

Every smell is a record you can point to.

Each SmellBook entry can be identified, printed, cited and downloaded. This page shows how to use one in an exhibition, a class or a collection.

What a record gives you

Identity
The SB number and the permanent identifier name one smell record. Write both next to anything you take from SmellBook.
Provenance
Each entry says which parts are editorial and which are VERIFIED. For a VERIFIED claim, the entry names its source and how the claim was checked; cite that source for the scientific point.
Revision
Every entry has a revision number and date. A citation names them, so readers can see exactly what you read.
Open data
Every entry is also published as data (JSON), with a citation and provenance package, and the whole knowledge graph is released by date with a checksum.

In an exhibition

  1. Print the entry's exhibition label or its print reference view. Exhibition labels
  2. Each has a QR code that opens the entry's permanent address, not a tracking link, so it keeps working if the page moves. Permanent identifiers
  3. Keep the evidence labels on the panel: say what is editorial and what is VERIFIED. The evidence guide

In a class

  1. Use the reference card at the top of an entry to introduce a smell: its words, families, settings and evidence. Reference Directory
  2. Compare two smells field by field and discuss what differs and what is not known. Compare any two smells
  3. Follow a free Learn lesson that uses the same records. SmellBook Learn

In a collection or catalogue

  1. Record the SB number and permanent identifier in your catalogue, in a spreadsheet column or a standard field. How to reference identifiers
  2. Download the entry's citation and provenance package and keep it beside the record. Citation guide
  3. Name the dataset release by its date and checksum when you use the open data. Dataset releases
WHAT A RECORD IS NOT

These are records of what SmellBook knows about a smell, not physical smells: SmellBook does not supply or certify smell samples. Use is free; citing a record does not grant a licence to its data. SmellBook describes smells and records evidence about them. It does not define physical smell standards or reference samples, and it cannot guarantee that a smell can be reproduced physically.