Bone/tooth sampling and cleaning for collagen extraction v1

This protocol presents the procedure of collecting a sample of bone or tooth that is planned for further collagen extraction, prior to stable isotope analysis, radiocarbon dating, and/or proteomic identification. The protocol includes notes about estimating the sample size and selecting the sampling area, and details of taking a sample, cleaning a sample, drying a sample, and storing it after the sampling is completed. General notes on the destructiveness of the procedure and important issues to be considered before sampling are also provided, as well as basic health safety practices. This protocol has been established and tested in the Biogeology working group of the Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen (Tübingen, Germany) and the Bioindicator and Stable Isotope labs of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Warsaw, Poland).