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Prism

Prism is an institutional repository for the research and scholarly output of Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University

Quick Access

Click on one of the following titles to directly access that section.

Join a Community

  1. Log in to Prism by clicking on the grey button in the top right corner of the home page. PLEASE NOTE that a NetID is needed to access Prism. 
  2. Click on Communities at the top left of the page –OR— go to My dashboard and then select the Communities tab.
  3. Use the search bar to look for the desired community by inputting text, or scroll down and click on See all next to New communities to browse all communities. NOTE results will match records with the searched term(s) in any field. Stemming is applied, so e.g. “science” will also match “sciences,” and search results are ranked according to an algorithm that takes your query terms into account.
  4. The Sort by dropdown menu facilitates queries by offering results organized by Best match, Newest, or Oldest.
  5. Filter communities by type by checking the boxes next to the desired types on the left. To the right of each type is a number, which represents the total communities that fit that categorization. Consult the table below to determine the appropriate type(s).
     Community Type   Description/Definition
     Organization  A group or body with shared purpose or goals
     Event  A planned occasion with purpose or goals
     Topic  A subject or genre of study or discussion
     Project  A planned undertaking in pursuit of specific goals

  6. Filter communities by visibility by checking the box next to Public or Restricted. NOTE only the restricted communities the user is already a member of will be displayed. To the right of each visibility option is a number, which represents the total communities that fit that categorization.
  7. After locating the desired community, click on it.

  8. Click on the Members tab, then identify the owner of the community by looking under role.

  9. Once the owner has been identified, search their name in the NU Directory (at https://directory.northwestern.edu/) and copy their email address. 

  10. Send the owner an email requesting to be a member of the community. NOTE: A more efficient method for requesting community membership is currently under construction and will be coming soon. 

Leave a Community

  1. Log in to Prism by clicking on the grey button in the top right corner of the home page. PLEASE NOTE that a NetID is needed to access Prism.
  2. Click on Communities at the top left of the page –OR— go to My dashboard and then select the Communities tab.
  3. Click on the desired Community from the options.
  4. Click on the Members tab.
  5. To leave the community, locate the row with your username and click on the red Leave… button on the right side. Confirm this action on the subsequent pop-out window. NOTE this action cannot be undone.

Accept/Decline a Community Invitation

  1. Log in to Prism by clicking on the grey button in the top right corner of the home page. PLEASE NOTE that a NetID is needed to access Prism.
  2. Click on the dropdown menu to the right of your name, then select My dashboard.
  3. Click on the Requests tab.
  4. If necessary, sort through invitation requests by utilizing the different provided filters.
     
    • The Open and Closed toggle buttons differentiate between pending and resolved requests respectively. Pending requests require the user to accept or decline the request, while resolved requests are complete and require no further action. NOTE there is no way to reopen a closed request.
    • Use the search bar to search requests by inputting text. NOTE results will match records with the searched term(s) in any field. Stemming is applied, so e.g. “science” will also match “sciences,” and search results are ranked according to an algorithm that takes your query terms into account.
    • The Sort by dropdown menu facilitates queries by offering results organized by Best match, Newest, or Oldest. 
    • Filter requests by type by checking the boxes next to the desired types on the left. To the right of each type is a number, which represents the total requests that fit within that categorization. In this case, check the box next to New invitation, which will limit the list to only the user's community invitations. To reset this filter click on the white Clear button above the type options.
    • Filter requests by status by checking the desired boxes next to the status options on the left. To the right of each option is a number, which represents the total requests that fit within that categorization. To reset this filter click on the white Clear button above the status options.
       
  5. After locating the desired request(s), click on the green Accept button to join the community, or the red Decline button to reject the invitation. To have a conversation with the sender of the invitation, click on the invitation itself; this will open a conversation thread between the sender and the invitee in order to address questions, concerns, etc. NOTE: conversations occur solely within Prism and no notifications are sent via email or otherwise regarding new messages.