Before searching the Q&A below, it is recommended that you first complete the PWP online training course. This quick course gives a full overview of the system, explaining the steps required to activate and edit your PWP, and will likely answer any of your questions in the process.

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Getting started and common troubleshooting questions

Do I have a PWP?

Imperial members of staff and postgraduate researchers automatically have a PWP


You don't need to request a PWP as it is automatically set up for staff and postgraduate researchers

See 'How do I find my PWP?' next

How do I find my PWP?

Copy the URL below into a web browser and replace ‘abc’ with the front of your Imperial email address


https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/abc


For instance, if your Imperial email address is: 
c.hankin@imperial.ac.uk


Your PWP address will be:
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.hankin

When I go to my PWP, it says the ‘page you are looking for does not exist’ – what should I do?

Update your entry in the College directory to show your information in external directories


  1. Go to the College directory
  2. Click the button ‘Update your entry in the directory’ in the lower left
  3. Log in with your College username and password and you will be taken to an update form
  4. 'Show information in external directories' – make sure this is set to ‘Y’ instead of 'N'
  5. Click 'View your alterations before submitting' - this will take you to a confirmation screen where you can save the changes

Your information will now be available in external directories.

When I try to make my PWP publicly available the toggle button is greyed out and doesn't allow me to change it - what should I do?

Update your entry in the College directory to show your information in external directories


  1. Go to the College directory
  2. Click the button ‘Update your entry in the directory’ in the lower left
  3. Log in with your College username and password and you will be taken to an update form
  4. 'Show information in external directories' – make sure this is set to ‘Y’ instead of 'N'
  5. Click 'View your alterations before submitting' - this will take you to a confirmation screen where you can save the changes

You will now be able to change the 'Visibility' toggle 'This PWP is publically available' from 'No' to 'Yes'.

When I go to my PWP, it says it ‘has not yet been published’ – what should I do?

Make your PWP publicly visible


  1. Log in to your PWP with your College username and password
  2. Click on the 'Administration' option, next to 'Home Edit'
  3. Under the first heading, 'Visibility', it will indicate if your PWP is publicly visible
  4. If it is currently set to 'No', set the option to 'Yes' by moving the switch to the right
  5. To save changes, click the red ‘Back to Profile’ button at the bottom left of the page

Now your PWP will be published and visible to an external audience.

My PWP is not showing up in Google search results when I search my name - what should I do?

After activating your PWP it will typically start to show up organically in Google search results after a few days. So if your PWP isn't immediately coming up in Google right after you've activated it, you may need to wait a while before expecting to see results (it can take up to 7-10 days but typically quicker than that).

However, there are some rare cases in which a user's PWP does not being to appear in Google even after waiting. If this happens to you, please complete this help request form via the service desk: Report a problem with your PWP.

A member of the digital team can manually request your PWP to be indexed in Google and this has solved the issue for other users who have experienced the same problem.

 

 

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Edit and update your information

How do I edit my photo and summary page?

Log in and select the blue ‘Edit this profile button’ at the bottom right of the screen after logging in


  1. Click on the blue ‘Edit this profile’ button
  2. Click on the ‘Home edit’ option
  3. Click in the ‘Summary’ area to begin editing your summary text
  4. Click the ‘Photo’ field to upload a new photo from your computer
  5. Adjust the photo within the frame by using the zoom feature and moving the area of focus
  6. Click on the ‘Generate’ button to insert your new photo

Important – save changes by clicking the green ‘Publish Content’ button at the bottom right of the edit screen.

Can I change my name and/or title?

Yes - useful for situations in which your position has changed from 'Dr' to 'Professor', for example.


Include your professional title (if applicable)

Do not include your Department or Faculty as this information will be shown automatically

  1. Log in to your PWP
  2. Click on the blue ‘Edit this profile’ button
  3. Click on the ‘Home edit’ option
  4. Click on the title field containing your name and make any necessary edits

Important – save changes by clicking the green ‘Publish Content’ button at the bottom right of the edit screen.

Can I add my Twitter feed?

Yes, you just need to fill in your Twitter username


  1. Log in to your PWP
  2. Click on the blue ‘Edit this profile’ button
  3. Click on the 'Administration' screen, next to 'Home Edit'
  4. Turn on your Twitter feed by switching ‘Display Twitter timeline’ to ‘Yes’
  5. A box will appear asking for you to add your Twitter username

To save changes, click the red ‘Back to Profile’ button at the bottom left of the page

Can I add a copy of my CV?

Yes, but only if the file is in Microsoft Word or PDF format


  1. Log in to your PWP
  2. Click on the blue ‘Edit this profile’ button
  3. Click on the 'Administration' screen, next to 'Home Edit'
  4. Click the blue ‘Upload CV’ button, and select the file from your computer
  5. After uploading, you will have the option to delete the file - click the red cross next to the document

Important – save changes by clicking the green ‘Publish Content’ button at the bottom right of the edit screen.

Can I add other files that visitors can download?

Yes - you can upload and link to files in any of the editable content areas on your PWP (Home, Research or Extra page)


Allowed file types: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Open Office, Apple Pages, Corel WordPerfect, PDF, Rich Text Format, CSV, HTML, XML, Simple Text and GIFs

  1. When the text editor is open, click on the ‘upload or edit a file’ icon
  2. Click on ‘Choose' and use the file manager to either upload a new file or select one you have uploaded before.
  3. Complete the ‘Text to display’ box, this is how the link to your file will appear on the page.
  4. Click Insert

Can anyone else edit my PWP?

By default, only you can edit your own PWP - however, you can add a nominated editor to your profile which gives them access and permission to edit your PWP


  1. Log in to your PWP
  2. Click on the blue ‘Edit this profile’ button
  3. Click on the 'Administration' screen, next to 'Home Edit'
  4. Look under the heading 'Editors' - this shows people with edit access to your PWP
  5. Click the blue ‘Add New Editor’ button
  6. Search for your nominated editor by name
  7. Click the ‘Add selected editor’ button
  8. To save changes, click the red ‘Back to Profile’ button at the bottom left of the page

It is possible to add more than one selected editor, if necessary, by following the same process again

What is my 'Research' page and how do I edit it?

An additional page for your PWP which allows you to go into more detail about the focus of your research


  1. Log in and select the blue ‘Edit this profile button’ at the bottom right of the screen
  2. Click on the ‘Research Edit’ option
  3. Click on the 'Overview' heading to edit
  4. Click in the content area to add or edit text
  5. Click the 'Add new content area' button if you want to add an additional expandable new content area with its own heading
  6. Delete an entire content area by clicking the red 'X' next to it
  7. You can add a maximum of ten content areas

Important – save changes by clicking the green ‘Publish Content’ button at the bottom right of the edit screen.

Can I add an extra page in addition to my 'Research' page?

Yes - by switching on the 'Extra page' feature. This is useful for adding information that isn't covered by your PWP's 'Home' or 'Research' pages


First switch on the page:

  1. Log in to your PWP
  2. Click on the blue ‘Edit this profile’ button
  3. Click on the 'Administration' option, next to 'Home Edit'
  4. Under the heading 'Extra page', switch the option 'This PWP has an extra page' to 'Yes'
  5. A new item 'Extra page edit' will appear in the top menu

Now click on 'Extra page edit' to add content to the new page:

  1. Navigation title - how the page will appear in your PWP top menu
  2. Page title - how the page will appear in search engines (eg. Google)
  3. 'Extra page' heading - edit as required
  4. Content area - click to edit and add text as you would on your PWP home page

Important - save changes by clicking the green 'Publish content' button at the bottom right

How do I add or edit the details of my personal assistant on my PWP?

Add your assistant's telephone number to your College directory entry in the 'Assistant's number' field


  1. Go to the College directory
  2. Click the button ‘Update your entry in the directory’ in the lower left
  3. Log in with your College username and password and you will be taken to an update form
  4. Add your assistant's Imperial telephone number in the 'Assistant's number' field
  5. The number should follow the format 020 1234 5678
  6. Click 'View your alterations before submitting' - this will take you to a confirmation screen where you can save the changes

The system may take a few days to sync the changes, at which point their details will appear below your PWP profile photo under the title 'Assistant'

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Displaying research publications and groups

How do I select which of my publications appear on my PWP home page?

Select 'favourite' publications within Symplectic Elements - these selected publications will appear at the bottom of your PWP home page


It is up to you how many favourites you select - fewer than ten is recommended.

  1. Log in to Symplectic Elements
  2. Click Menu > Publications and locate the publications you want to mark as favourites
  3. Under the publication title is a heart symbol - click this to mark it as a favourite
  4. Changes should publish overnight, and then these selected favourites will appear at the bottom of your PWP home page

Note the following exceptions:

  1. If you have no favourites selected in Symplectic, your five most recent publications will be displayed
  2. If you have no publications, or if they are all set to ‘hidden’, none will appear on your home page and your PWP won't have a 'Publications' page

Can I change the order in which my publications appear?

No - your publications will automatically display in reverse chronological-alphabetical order and can't be manually ordered


This applies to both your selected favourites (which display on your PWP 'Home' page) and the full list of your publications (your PWP 'Publications' page)

How do I add research groups or centres under my 'affiliations' area?

The 'Affiliations' area of your PWP will show links to research groups and centres of which you are a member


If you want to add an affiliation link, you will need to request it from your Faculty Web Officer.

Do I need to update any other systems that have an effect on my PWP?

Yes - PWPs automatically source some of their information from the College systems and applications listed below


College directorylogin link

  • personal details
  • contacts
  • location
  • personal assistant (if applicable)

Symplectic Elementslogin link

  • publications
  • honours and awards
  • collaborators
  • fellowships
  • external boards
  • guest lectures
  • research staff and students
  • teaching information (for Faculty of Medicine only)

Further information on using Symplectic Elements

 

DSSview a list of administrators

  • teaching tab information (not Faculty of Medicine)

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