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Basic Profile

Your basic profile contains essential personal information and contact details.

Accessing Basic Profile Settings​

  1. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner
  2. Select Settings
  3. Navigate to Basic Profile tab

Personal Information​

Required Fields​

Name​

  • First Name - Your given name
  • Last Name - Your family name

These are visible to other researchers and appear in:

  • Search results
  • Project team lists
  • Publication author names
  • Messages and notifications

Email Address​

  • Your primary email for account access
  • Used for notifications and communications
  • Must be unique in the system
  • Can be changed (requires verification)

Optional Fields​

Title​

Select your professional title:

  • Dr. (Doctor)
  • Prof. (Professor)
  • Mr.
  • Ms.
  • Mrs.
  • Mx.

Profile Photo​

Upload a professional photo:

  • Supported formats: JPG, PNG, GIF
  • Maximum size: 2MB
  • Recommended: 400x400 pixels or larger
  • Aspect ratio: Square (1:1) for best results

Options:

  • Upload from your computer
  • Use SSO provider photo (if logged in via Microsoft, Google, or ORCID)

Tips:

  • Use a clear, professional headshot
  • Good lighting and high resolution
  • Recent photo (within 2 years)
  • Appropriate for academic/professional context

Gender​

  • Optional field for demographic information
  • Not publicly displayed by default
  • Used for institutional statistics only

Date of Birth​

  • Used for age verification if required
  • Not publicly visible
  • Optional field

Contact Information​

Phone Number​

  • Your contact number
  • Optional field
  • Format: Include country code (e.g., +44 20 7946 0958)

Recovery Email​

  • Important: Different from your primary email
  • Used for account recovery if locked out
  • Requires separate verification
  • Strongly recommended for account security

Setting up Recovery Email:

  1. Enter a secondary email address
  2. Click Send Verification
  3. Check the recovery email inbox
  4. Click the verification link
  5. Status changes to Verified

Address​

Complete address information:

  • Street Address - House number and street name
  • City - Your city or town
  • Postal/Zip Code
  • Country - Select from dropdown

Visibility: Address information is private by default and only shared when necessary for project participation or institutional requirements.

Institution Affiliation​

Link your current academic or research institution:

Adding Your Institution​

  1. Click Search Institution
  2. Type your institution's name
  3. Select from the dropdown list
  4. If not found, click Request to Add Institution

Institution Details​

  • Department/Faculty - Your specific department
  • Role/Position - Your current position at the institution

Why link your institution?

  • Enables institutional project discovery
  • Allows participation in institution-wide surveys
  • Connects you with colleagues
  • Validates your academic affiliation

Multiple Institutions​

If you're affiliated with multiple institutions:

  • Set one as Primary Affiliation
  • Add others as Additional Affiliations

Updating Your Profile​

Edit Information​

  1. Navigate to the field you want to change
  2. Click Edit or directly in the text field
  3. Make your changes
  4. Click Save Changes

Profile Photo Management​

  • Change Photo: Click on your current photo > Upload New
  • Remove Photo: Click photo > Remove Photo
  • Use SSO Photo: Click photo > Use [Provider] Photo

Email Address Changes​

Changing your email requires verification:

  1. Enter new email address
  2. Click Update Email
  3. Verify your current password
  4. Check new email for verification link
  5. Click link to confirm change
  6. Email update is complete

Profile Visibility​

Control what information is visible to others:

Public Fields (Always Visible)​

  • Name
  • Profile photo
  • Institution
  • Academic position

Controllable Visibility​

Go to Settings > Privacy to control:

  • Email address visibility
  • Phone number visibility
  • Address visibility

Options​

  • Public: Visible to all ResearchConnectX users
  • Connections Only: Visible to researchers you're connected with
  • Project Teams: Visible to team members of shared projects
  • Private: Not visible to anyone

Avatar from SSO Providers​

If you logged in using SSO, you can use your provider's profile photo:

Microsoft Azure AD​

  • Automatically uses your Microsoft 365 profile photo
  • Updates when you update Microsoft photo

Google​

  • Uses your Google account profile photo
  • Syncs automatically

ORCID​

  • Uses your ORCID profile photo if available

To use SSO photo:

  1. Go to Basic Profile
  2. Click on your profile photo area
  3. Select Use [Provider Name] Photo
  4. Photo is imported automatically

Data Privacy​

What ResearchConnectX Does With Your Data​

  • Basic profile information enables platform functionality
  • Email is used for notifications and communications
  • Personal data is never sold or shared with third parties
  • Institutional affiliation may be shared with your institution's administrators

Data Access​

  • You can view all your data at any time
  • Export your profile data via Settings > Data Export
  • Request data deletion via Settings > Delete Account

GDPR Compliance​

ResearchConnectX complies with GDPR and data protection regulations:

  • Right to access your data
  • Right to correct inaccuracies
  • Right to delete your account
  • Right to export your data

Troubleshooting​

Can't Update Email​

  • Ensure new email isn't already registered
  • Check spam folder for verification email
  • Wait 5 minutes between verification attempts
  • Contact support if issue persists

Profile Photo Won't Upload​

  • Check file size (max 2MB)
  • Verify file format (JPG, PNG, GIF only)
  • Try a different browser
  • Compress image if too large

Institution Not Listed​

  • Double-check spelling and variations
  • Try searching by abbreviation
  • Use Request to Add Institution form
  • Institutions are added within 48 hours

Best Practices​

Keep Information Current​

  • Review profile monthly
  • Update when changing institutions
  • Verify contact information is correct
  • Refresh photo every 1-2 years

Professional Presentation​

  • Use complete, formal names
  • Include appropriate titles
  • Professional photo recommended
  • Accurate institutional affiliation

Security​

  • Set up recovery email
  • Use unique, strong password
  • Enable two-factor authentication
  • Don't share login credentials

Next Steps​

After completing your basic profile: