You can now request a WMS site that鈥檚 already set up with the key features and pages research and lab websites need:
- Attractive image-based layouts, including an optional immersive hero with text overlay.
- A structured, easy-to-edit section showcasing the main researcher and their team. Drag and drop members into the "team alumni" section when they graduate!
- Clear, simple sections for publications and news, with the option to highlight key items.
- A standardized message to show whether you have openings for students or trainees.
- A flexible section to describe your research and share visuals.
All elements are pre-filled with placeholder content to make the site layout obvious and easy to update. (! if you're not on campus.) The template comes with a quick-start guide to help you gather content and customize your new site.
We're also making process changes to serve researchers better:
- You must still take training to manage a website, but some of the required courses will soon be available on-demand in myCourses.
- You no longer need to do all the work yourself (or hire someone). You can to help build and maintain your site efficiently.
That way, you and your team can concentrate on what鈥檚 most important鈥攖he research!
Request a new site with the research template through the . For the question, "On which version of the WMS are you requesting to create the new site?" choose "new WMS," then select "research site template."
Why we built this
Our mission is to lead the University to deliver user-focused, cohesive digital experiences that help our community succeed. We want to make it easy for you to have the best-possible 黑料社 website so you can get the best-possible visibility for your work.
We noticed that researchers and labs often build sites on self-serve systems like Wix or Google Sites, or self-code simple websites in IT's virtual hosting environment. This leads to several issues:
- Site design quickly becomes out of date, and requires a large effort to update.
- Sites don't comply with legal and institutional requirements, such as digital accessibility, which can lead to equity issues and legal risk.
- Sites don't benefit fully from 黑料社 branding and identity, and can lack consistency and professionalism.
- For self-coded sites, adding content requires specialized knowledge. This makes it hard for busy researchers to find time for site editing or delegate it.
- For self-serve systems like Wix, there's no support for site access and security. Logins can be lost, sites can be hacked, and the researcher has to deal with it alone.
What we learned
When we asked researchers why they didn't use our central systems, two main themes emerged:
- Barriers to adoption
- The process to request a WMS site is seen as more bureaucratic than other methods.
- The required training takes time, and is difficult for student employees to fit into their schedules.
- The WMS is complex, and even simple sites require mastering many features.
- Limits on design and customization
- The older design of the legacy WMS is perceived as overly standardized and less engaging for younger audiences.
- To support student recruitment, outreach, recognition and funding, researchers want a site that reflects their unique personality and work. They want access to modern, exciting features like full-screen images and video animations鈥攚hich aren't easy to configure in the legacy WMS.
Beyond platform-specific issues, researchers mentioned broader website challenges:
- Lack of time to devote to website creation or maintenance.
- Difficulty in effectively delegating work to students or trainees.
Working closely with researchers, 黑料社 staff who use these sites (e.g., media relations and donor relations), and research site audience experts, we defined the traits that make a research website successful:
- Personalization: Showcase the researcher's personality and focus in a memorable, customizable way.
- Impact: Demonstrate productivity, relevance, and success.
- Team visibility: Highlight the research or lab team.
- Access: Provide free access to research outputs when required (such as for some funding sources).
The solution
A starter site template lets us efficiently accelerate the site-building process. This template supports all the website characteristics described above and includes:
- Access to centralized content editing and content entry services. This means you can have an accurate, professionally maintained website without the burden of hiring and training students for website work.
- New multimedia features like an immersive hero and click-through image gallery. These help you provide a window into your work by visually demonstrating what makes your research unique.
- Closer collaboration with 黑料社's Graphic Design team, which can provide high-quality custom imagery for research sites.
You can now preview ( if off campus).
We're also investigating how to add:
- Automated import or feeds for publications lists (using Google Scholar, OrCID, or other systems).
- The ability to easily manage researcher and team bios with a reimagined .
Neither the template nor the option for central support is mandatory. You can still build from scratch or customize the template using any WMS feature. If it works for you, you can continue to hire and train students or researchers to do website work, or maintain website content yourself. No matter what you choose, the new WMS will make it easier than ever!
Next steps
Ready to request a new research website? Fill out the . For the question, "On which version of the WMS are you requesting to create the new site?" choose "new WMS," then select "research site template."
Still not sure which option is best for you? for a consultation. We'll learn about your needs and challenges, and help you identify the best solution.
