1. Log in to the Symbiota profile (if you don’t already have an account, click New Account to create one).
2. Click “My Profile”
3. Under the “Species Checklists” tab, click the add icon.
4. Fill out the “Create New Checklist” box with the desired information.
   • Most checklists will be a General Checklist. Alternatively, you can another list type from the Checklist Type dropdown menu. A Species Exclusion List is used to curate a subset of taxa that are purposely excluded from another list, and a Rare, threatened, protected species list is used to compile a state-level list of rare, threatened, and protected taxa for which locality data will be redacted for specimens in that state.
   • To indicate that this checklist is a subset within a larger checklist, select the “parent” (larger) checklist from the More Inclusive Reference Checklist dropdown menu.
   • You can define the area included in the checklist by describing it in the Locality and Abstract fields, including Latitude and Longitude coordinates, and/or you can define the boundaries of that area geographically by setting a “footprint polygon”. To define a “footprint polygon”:
     1. Click the globe icon inside the Polygon Footprint box. A Google map will appear a new window.
     2. Drag the map until it shows the region covered by your checklist, then zoom in until you can see the boundaries of the area.
     3. Click the polygon icon in the top center of the window then click around the boundaries of your area.
     4. When you get back to the point where you started, double click the starting point. This will lock the coordinates into the text box at the bottom of the window. Your defined area will shaded in.
     5. If you are dissatisfied with your polygon, you can delete or redraw it by clicking the appropriate button on the bottom right. When you are satisifed with your polygon, click the Save Polygon button.
   • You can decide whether you want to keep this checklist private, or if you want it to be available to the public by selecting Private or Public from the Access dropdown menu.

To add taxa (species) to your list, see the section Add Taxa to Checklist.