Elements
What is Elements?
Elements is a third-party reporting system owned and administed by UGA's Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA)
Elements collects information on research, scholarship, creative works, and professional activities of faculty, postdocs, and graduate/professional students. Some information is fed from other systems, but much of it must be entered and/or claimed by the individual.
All UGA faculty members are expected to maintain up-to-date profiles as part of the annual performance evaluation process. Additionally, CAES Faculty are expected to maintain up-to-date profiles to support CAES reporting and marketing and communication initiatives.
Where Does the Data Come From?
Much of the information in Elements is fed from authoritative sources. Records that are auto-fed from an external source are generally not editable within Elements. They must be corrected in the source system.
Data that is not auto-fed must be entered by the individual, or by a delegate managing the individual’s profile. Examples of these data types can be found: Scholarly & Creative Works, Sponsored Projects, Instruction, Professional Activities
Data Type | Source |
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Name, Faculty Appointments, Rank Home, Contact Info, Degrees, Additional Posts, Special Titles | UGA HR Data |
Journal Articles, Books, Book Chapters, and Published Conference Proceedings | Auto-search from several online databases, must be claimed by Elements User |
Sponsored Project Proposals & Awards | Auto-fed from SPA |
Intellectual Property | Auto-fed from UGA Innovation Gateway |
Graduate/Professional Student Advising | Auto-fed from GradStatus via Banner |
Course Taught | Auto-fed from Banner |
Why is Elements Reporting Important?
Data collected in Elements is used not only for individual review, but also at a department and college level to report effort and output.
CAES pulls data from Elements to support reporting initiatives including:
- Faculty annual Summary (EAS)
- Government Compliance Reports
- Website, infographics, & marketing material
- Stakeholder reports
- Performance metrics dashboards
These numbers, especially those reported to outside entities, may impact funding efforts. Therefore consistent, accurate reporting is critical.
Elements Reporting: Deadlines
CAES begins utilizing Elements data from the previous year on January 15th for Annual Performance Reviews and Departmental Metrics. Current Elements data is used throughout the year for reports such as the quarterly CEU Report and Office of Marketing and Communication initiatives. Additionally, CAES pulls Elements data in early July for several critical reports. At a minimum, all CAES faculty should ensure their Elements data is up to date by January 10th and July 10th to support CAES' ability to provide the most accurate reflection of efforts and outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.
Reporting is easier and more accurate when done at more regular intervals. It may be helpful to set a personal deadline for reporting weekly, monthly, or at least quarterly.
Elements Support & Training
UGA’s Office of Faculty Affairs:
- Owns and administers Elements for the University.
- OFA’s Elements Support Team maintains an Elements Quick Reference Guide that is helpful for understanding and troubleshooting the system and data.
- OFA provides Intro to Elements & Elements Refresher trainings annually. These typically are held in January. Information on trainings can be found in the Elements Quick Reference Guide.
For CAES specific Elements system or data questions, email CAES Reporting.
Training Archives
- Intro to Elements for New Faculty (1/5/2023) - video archive - slide deck
- Elements Update for Experienced Faculty (1/5/2023) - slide deck
Elements FAQ
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It is recommended that you run your current year's Elements Activity Summary (EAS) before you begin entering data. You may find a collaborator has entered an activity and tagged you, or there was something you entered last year in preparation for the upcoming year. This will help you avoid duplicate entries and find things that need to be modified for the current year. Instructions for pulling an EAS (pdf). The annual Quick Reference Guide is a great source for recent updates and tips.
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You are probably seeing old records because of how the Reporting Dates are set for that record. Read this help document to understand how to fix these problems and prevent them in the future.
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Visit the correcting data help page for instruction on the different types of data correction.
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Instructions for adding a peer reviewed label can be found here.
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You can copy records only in the Professional Activities and Instruction sections. Directions can be found here.
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Yes, you can search the entire system. Directions can be found here.
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Yes, you can record Social Media posts in the Professional Activities section, but you should only report posts that share educational content. Directions can be found here.
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Yes, you can record Technical Assistance in the Professional Activities section, along with on-site visits. Directions can be found here.
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section: Scholarly & Creative Works > type: Internet Publication
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section: Scholarly & Creative Works > type: Instructional Material
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section: Scholarly & Creative Works > type: Report > report type: Extension Bulletin
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- Quick Reference Guide for Reporting in Elements (pdf) (12/2022) **Has updates about changes and additions for the 2022 reporting year
- Duplicate a Record (pdf) (5/2022)
- Mark a publication as peer reviewed (pdf) (1/2022)
- One Pager for Extension Specialists (pdf) (8/2021)
- Linking Objects in Elements (pdf) (1/2023)
- Entering an Educational Outreach Presentation (pdf) (11/2021)
- Entering Social Media (pdf) (11/2021)
- Entering Technical Assistance (pdf) (11/2021)
- How to pull an Element Activity Summary (EAS) (pdf) (4/2022)
- How to Search Elements (pdf) (1/2023)
- Admin Support - How to pull an EAS for a faculty member (pdf) (4/2022)
- Student Supervision/Advisement in Elements (pdf) (11/2021)
- For Department Heads - Run a Unit Report (pdf) (11/2021)
Helpful Links
- Quick Reference Guide (PDF)
- Duplicate a Record (PDF)
- Pull your Element Activity Summary (EAS) (PDF)
- Mark as Peer-Reviewed (PDF)
- Search Elements (PDF)
How to Enter…
- Entering Social Media (PDF)
- Entering Technical Assistance (PDF)
- Student Supervision/Advisement (PDF)
- Entering an Extension Presentation (PDF)
Help for…
- Department Heads / Admin Support – Run a Unit Report (PDF)
- Department Heads / Admin Support – Pull a Faculty’s EAS (PDF)
Advanced Functions…