Creating a research group page
When creating a new page for a research group, select the folder type "Research group" in Vortex. New folders for research groups should be placed in the /groups/ folder (English) and /grupper/ folder (Norwegian), located under the /research/ (English) and /forskning/ (Norwegian) menu items on the unit's website.
Folder name
UiO faculties/museums may have different naming conventions for group folders. Check what applies to your unit before naming the folder.
Avoid capital letters, special characters and spaces in folder and file names. Use a hyphen between words.
Language versions
All research groups must have pages in both Norwegian and English. You do not need to mirror all content in both languages, but a minimum of information is required for each version. See more details in the language guidelines for uio.no (in Norwegian).
Default folder content
The folder you create will automatically include an index file of the "Research group" type, which serves as the main project page.
It also includes a published "images" folder and two unpublished folders for events and news.
The events and news folders should only be kept if the project plans to use these formats regularly. Otherwise, delete them.
Choosing a structure
The research group template can be used either as a one-pager, where nearly all information is shown on the index page, or as a front page with multiple subpages.
The subpage structure should generally follow UiO’s current information architecture for websites, see IA for research group pages (point 1.4 in the IA template for institutes). The addition of content folders beyond those listed should always be assessed by a web editor.
Filling in the template content fields
This section goes through the content fields of the group template (index document) as sorted in the editor interface, with guidelines for each field.
Please note: The page must have the "Back link" navigation option under visual profile (not "Left menu") for the content to display correctly.
Title
Enter the name of the research group in the title field.
Acronym
If the group has an acronym, use this field to display it in an accessible and visible format on the page.
Note that the acronym is shown alongside the group name in group lists and by search engines.
Introduction
The introduction should briefly describe the group’s research focus in plain language and be no longer than 160 characters.
More detailed information should be added to the main content field below, or to subpages if the page has a more complex structure.
Image
Adding an image is optional. Images shown at the top of the project page should be of high quality and in the recommended size: 1000 x 562 pixels (16:9 format). Make sure to include an alternative text and appropriate image credits.
If you have access to local photographers, consider taking a dedicated photo for the group page. Suitable motifs include research equipment in use, researchers in action or discussion, fieldwork, lab environments or other atmospheric shots from the research environment.
Group portraits or portrait collages are not recommended. The field for members further down on the page is designed to display individual member photos.
See UiO's guidelines for using images on websites.
Contact
All group pages must include contact information. You can list up to three contact persons at the top of the page.
For each contact, include their full name, affiliation (institution), link to their personal page and their role in the project.
Recommendations
- For UiO staff, use the image URL from their personal page.
- For external contacts, upload a photo in the images folder. Recommended portrait size is 400x300 pixels (3:4). The face should be in the upper half of the image.
- If different contacts serve different audiences, use the "role" field strategically (e.g. "press contact," "administrative lead").
- If you want to link to an email address instead of a personal profile page,put "mailto:{email address}" in the web address field. The field containing the contact person's name should then include '(email)': First name Last name (email)
- If you prefer not to include images, leave the image URL field empty.
- Alternative text for images is generated automatically.
If you need to include other types of contact information, such as location or postal address, use the fields for main content or related content.
Navigation menu
Group pages with subpages can include a navigation menu below the contact section.
There is no field for confguring the menu: It appears automatically when the folder has subfolders set to be shown in menus. To hide a menu, set subfolders to "hide from menu" in the folder's Edit tab.
Recommendations:
- If "events" or "news" are the only subfolders, use the custom fields instead of menu links instead of the navigation menu
- If there's only one subfolder, like "partners," consider linking to it from the main content instead. Core content like "publications" and "projects" may work as a single menu item.
Main content
This field should provide a more detailed presentation of the group. While the content structure may vary, we recommend covering at least the following:
- About the group: What you research
- Goals: What the research aims to achieve, including innovation potential where relevant
- Background: Theoretical frameworks methods, previous research, etc.
Some groups may also want to include information about teaching activities.
Keep paragraphs short, ideally 100–200 words per topic. Ensure that the content is also clear to readers who aren't experts in the subject.
If your group page includes subpages and a navigation menu, keep main content on the front page brief.
Members
Use this field to list project members.
For UiO staff:
- Enter their UiO username. Name, image and affiliation are auto-filled.
- To add their role, use the role field next to the username field.
- Use up/down arrows to reorder members if needed.
- Alternative text for images is generated automatically.
For external members:
- Under "External participants," add name, affiliation and a link to their profile.
- To show a photo, upload it to the images folder. Recommended size: 400x300 pixels (3:4). The face should be in the upper half. Ensure image rights are in place.
- Alt text is generated automatically.
- Use the arrows to sort order. Note: external members cannot be sorted before UiO staff.
You can choose to show or hide member images. This setting applies to both internal and external participants.
List of research projects: show/add project links
If you’ve linked the group to one or more UiO research projects, you can show those links on the group page. Check "Yes" under "Show associated UiO projects."
You can also add other projects with a name and website link, for instance projects hosted outside UiO that the group is involved in.
Feeds for news and events
Groups that regularly publish news or host events may wish to include a feed for this content.
To activate feeds, choose "Yes" under "Events feed" and/or "News feed" in the editor. When you select "Yes," a field appears for your desired feed title.
These feed pull documents from the "events" and "news" folders that were created with the group folder. This cannot be changed.
Feed management should be part of regular page maintenance to avoid empty headings on the front page.
Related content
Use this field for content that doesn’t fit in the other fields and isn’t prominent enough for the main content section.
Suitable examples include longer lists, of for instance affiliated researchers or partner organisations.
Suggestions for additional content types
Teaching and courses
Many research groups want to include information on teaching or courses. There’s no dedicated field for this information, but you can use the main or related content fields.
You can also add "teaching" as a menu item if the group page has subpages.
Publication lists
Due to the Cristin/NVA data structure, it's not possible to retrieve publications automatically for all groups.
Groups with their own location code can use the template that automatically lists the last 100 publications from Cristin/NVA.
Groups creating manual publication lists should always link to each publication so users can easily access them.
Long bullet lists
Many group pages include long bullet lists (> 5 items) of partners, researchers, advisory board members, etc. We recommend to split these into two columns for a better desktop layout.
See how to format lists in columns in the design manual.
Partner logos
If you want to display partner logos, see the guide for including clickable logos in the project page guidelines.
News
If you have the necessary resources, news articles can be a good way to share group activities and results. The content should be relevant to external audiences and spark further interest in the group's research.
See more about news articles in the project page guidelines stories on group and project pages
Other feeds
For group pages that include feeds other than the group’s own events and news (e.g. available master's projects or RSS feeds from a blog), it may be a good idea to display the feed in two or three columns instead of a vertical list.
Insert the code below:
<div class="two-column-feed">
${include:feed url=[/research/groups/*groupname*/*feedfolder*/?vrtx=feed] feed-title=[false] max-messages=[2] all-messages-link=[true] override-all-messages-link-text=[See more *] item-picture=[true] item-description=[false] published-date=[none]}
</div>
- Replace the URL before /?vrtx=feed.
- You can change the number of articles shown by adjusting the number in max-messages=[2] Use an even number for this type of feed.
- If you want to show an introduction: set item-description=[true].
- Adjust the link text "See more ..." as needed.
Group pages and communication
Goals and target audiences
The research group page supports communication of goals, activities and results, and highlights contacts, members and partners. It may also assist with recruiting students or staff.
Key audiences include
- other researchers and institutions, nationally and internationally
- funders (RCN, EU and others)
- Master's students
- interest groups, patients and prospective students
Page goals should be specific and action-oriented, e.g. to:
- initiate collaboration
- click to view publications
- explore the group's research projects
- subscribe to newsletters or social media
- check available master's projects
General advise for good content
- Think about your audiences: What matters to them? What will grab their attention? What terms will they search for?
- Use clear language. A readable, well-structured text benefits all readers.
- To build credibility, avoid poor-quality images and text in varied colors.
For more guidance on creating great online content, see these resources: