Office of the Vice President for Research
Office of the Vice President for Research
If you have a question about VTED, COS, or your expertise record you may find the answers here. Below are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about VTED and the expertise records.
I can't find the expertise or information that I'm looking for.
Email the VTED Support Technician for general assistance. Additional contact information is also available for starting collaborations and sponsorships, help with nonprofit and government sponsorship, and for media-related inquiries.
I didn't find myself in the database.
If your expertise record doesn't come up in your search of COS, then you're not in the databases.** Remember that you only need to enter your expertise information once, in COS. It will be uploaded to VTED automatically.
See more information about creating your expertise record.
**There is a delay in the upload to the other databases from Community of Science, so don't be concerned if your record doesn't appear in VTED immediately.
Do I have an expertise record?
Who may enter or update expertise information?
Any Virginia Tech (VT) faculty member is eligible to participate. Currently, this is a service for VT researchers, post docs and graduate students, as such you may:
- enter their own information
- have someone designated in his or her department enter the information
In order to access their expertise record, researchers will still need to Register with COS to get their COS USER-ID and PASSWORD.
I didn't find myself in the database.
If your expertise record doesn't come up in your search of VTED, then you're not in the databases. Remember that you only need to enter your expertise information once, in COS. It will be uploaded to VTED automatically.
See more information about creating your expertise record.
**There is a slight delay in the upload to the other databases from Community of Science, so don't be concerned if your record doesn't appear in VTED immediately.
I'm being denied access to the COS Web site.
COS only allows subscribing institutions access to most of their site. Although Virginia Tech is a subscribing member, the COS screening process may deny access if you're not logging on from a vt.edu address. If you are a Virginia Tech faculty member, part of the VT staff, or a VT student, but are being denied access to the COS Web site e-mail the VT-COS Liaison for assistance.
How do I enter a new expertise record?
First, check to see if you already have an expertise record in COS (more information). If your name and expertise information comes up, then you already have an expertise record in VTED and COS. You may wish to update/modify your record. (more information).
If your name doesn't come up, you don't have an expertise record. You'll need to:
- Register with COS and create your username and password
- Once your username and password are accepted you will be taken directly to a screen that will allow you to add your expertise information to the database.
COS has extensive online help facilities to assist you with entering or changing your information. You may also e-mail the VT-COS Liaison for additional instructions. COS editors need approximately a week to process a new or modified profile before publishing it on the Web. You can still access your profile during this processing time.
- you only need to enter a new expertise record once for it to be available in the two databases!
How do I update my expertise information?
You only need to update/modify an expertise record in COS once for the changes to be available in all three databases. To update your COS record:
- Log in to the COS Workbench (you'll need your COS username and password - be sure you've registered with COS)
- Update any of the thirteen information fields in your database record
Follow the instructions and if you need help, COS has extensive online help facilities or you can e-mail the VT-COS Liaison for additional instructions.
I've forgotten or lost my COS USER-ID and PASSWORD.
Simply fill out this form and COS will send you your username and password via e-mail. If your e-mail address has changed since creating your expertise record, you will need to contact the COS Help Desk with your full name, institution, address, and both your new and old e-mail addresses. Indicate in your note that you have lost your password. You may also contact the VT COS Liaison by email to receive your username and password.
Is there a charge to researchers for being listed in these databases
No, participation is free of charge to Virginia Tech faculty!
This service is provided by Research and Graduate Studies at Virginia Tech. It was designed to assist faculty members in disseminating their expertise information and provides a means to help them (and the university) in collaborative efforts, in finding sponsorships/grants, and in promoting their research and/or professional interests.
Why do we participate in two different databases?
Belonging to both databases, COS, and VTED maximizes the exposure of Virginia Tech's faculty expertise to different audiences.
Community of Science is the premier Web-based source of expertise, containing over 400,000 researchers' expertise records, and having some 800 institutions, government agencies, and companies as subscribers. VT subscribes to this international database as a service to their faculty members, staff, and students. It offers a wealth of information and benefits to its subscribers, especially to faculty members. By being part of this well-know source of expertise data, we increase the potential for research opportunities and collaborations for VT faculty.
The Virginia Tech Expertise Database is available to the general public, offering a potentially wider audience than COS. Most researchers or scholars around the world would probably be more likely to be familiar with COS rather than the regional VTED. However, for the local/regional non-university researchers, users, and companies, it gives them access to the same Virginia Tech expertise.
As you can see, participating in two databases offers Virginia Tech faculty members local, regional, national, and worldwide opportunities to make connections and promote their research interests. Find out more about VTED, COS.
Why was there a change from the 'old' method of entering or updating expertise information?
There are three main reasons for the change:
- to streamline and simplify the process of creating and updating records
- to guarantee that the data in both databases are consistent and current
- to give Virginia Tech researchers direct involvement with COS, providing a greater opportunity to explore the many benefits that our COS subscription offer
If your questions aren't answered here, or if you need additional assistance, see the Contact Information page to get in touch with VTED!