Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology is the main resource for determining the identity of bacteria species, utilizing every characterizing aspect. The manual was published subsequent to the Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, though the latter is still published as a guide for identifying unknown bacteria.First published in 1923 by David Hendricks Bergey,
it is used to classify bacteria based on their structural and
functional attributes by arranging them into specific familial orders.
However, this process has become more empirical in recent years.
