Creating Links

Overview

A link or relationship in Elements is simply a way of connecting an item to a profile or connecting one item to another item that it is related to.

When you add a new item (eg. publication, grant, etc.) to your profile, a link is automatically created between that item and yourself as the user. For example, a publication titled “Tufts FIS User Guide” is shown below. Under the Relationships tab for that item, there is a link to the author.

Relationships tab for an item

You also have the option to link yourself to an item that is already in the Elements system, but not a part of your profile yet. This is useful if you have collaborated on something with another faculty member and they have already created an item related to that collaboration in their profile. By linking yourself to that item, it also becomes a part of your profile.

Finally, Elements allows you to create links between two or more items that are already in your profile. This allows you to show the relationships between items. For example, you may want to show that a particular publication was funded by one of the grants you were awarded.

  1. Log in to the Tufts Elements website with your Tufts credentials.
  2. Navigate to the item (e.g. a publication).
  3. Click into the Relationships tab.
  4. Click on the relationship you want to see details for.Relationships tab for an item
  5. A pop up window will open with available information. In this window, you can choose a List or a Card view.Managing a relationship on an item
  6. From this window, you can edit or delete the links shown in the window. You can also add links of the same type (i.e., If you are currently looking at links to grants, you can add new links to other grants).

Faculty members often collaborate on publications, grants, teaching activities, and professional activities. When this happens, one person can create a record of that collaboration in Elements and other faculty members can simply link to it. Creating that link will add it to their profiles.

  1. Log in to faculty.tufts.edu with your Tufts username (e.g. jjumbo01) and password.
  2. Click EDIT MY PROFILE.Edit My Profile button
  3. Click on View all links on the right-hand side of the page.View All Links button
  4. Click on the Create Links dropdown menu and select the type of item you want to create a link to (publication, grant, etc.).Create Links menu
  5. In the Link type dropdown menu, choose the nature of your link to the item. In this example, we are creating a link to a publication and specifying that we are an author of that paper.
  6. In the Search text box, enter search terms that will identify the item you want to link to.
  7. Click the Search button.Searching for an item to link to
  8. Click on the box to the left of the item that you would like to create the link to. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save. The item will now be linked to your profile.Selecting item to link to

When creating links between items in this way, the items must already exist in your profile. If they don’t, you have to create the items first before you can link them.

  1. Find one of the items that you would like to create the link for and click on the Relationships tab to open it. Then, click the Add button.Add new link button
  2. A menu will appear. Select the type of item you wish to link to (e.g. a grant).Selecting a category to link to
  3. From here, the interface for creating a link will depend on the category selected in the previous step. The possibilities are listed below.
    • Linking to a Publication, Professional activity, or Teaching activity – A new page will load. Find the item you want to create a link to and check the box next to it. Multiple items can be checked. Then, use the Create new link button toward the bottom of the page. You can also create a new item to link to from this page.Linking to a professional activity
    • Linking to a User or Grant – A new page will load. Find the user or grant you want to create a link to and check the box next to it. Multiple items can be checked. Then, use the Link Selected dropdown menu to select the type of relationship to set. The link will be created.Linking to a user
  4. Returning to the original item will now show the new link/relationship that was created, which can then be edited or deleted as needed.