Office of Academic Affairs
Office of Faculty Affairs

Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR)

Full-time and associated faculty can capture their scholarly activities and accomplishments in Interfolio's Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR) tool. FAR supports faculty throughout their entire academic lifecycle as they seek grants, submit journal articles, apply for awards, manage promotion and tenure materials, and share their contributions to the university and beyond. 

FAR replaced Vita as the university’s faculty information system. Faculty are NOT required to use FAR for the 2024-25 academic year.

All full-time and associated faculty have access to Interfolio’s Ohio State Standard Faculty CV report. This report, which aligns with the Office of Academic Affairs’ current core dossier outline (opens PDF), generates a summary of a faculty member's research, service and teaching activities.

Log in to Interfolio

How to log in to Interfolio (FAR)

General login steps (FAR)

  1. Access Ohio State’s Interfolio website: go.osu.edu/Interfolio
     
  2. Log in with your Ohio State credentials. You may also need to complete your login via DUO.
     

  3. On the “Where do you want to go?” screen, two options appear. Click the Ohio State logo to access Ohio State’s Interfolio website. Do NOT click the Interfolio dossier logo. This sends you to an Interfolio section that Ohio State does not use. If you clicked the dossier link by mistake, see RETURN TO OHIO STATE’S INTERFOLIO HOMEPAGE below.

    Screenshot of Interfolio login question with arrow to Ohio State logo and Interfolio dossier option crossed out

     

  4. Once you've arrived to Ohio State’s Interfolio website, the following question can be found in the upper left side: "Would you like to come directly to The Ohio State University when you sign in to Interfolio? You can change this at any time in your account settings."

    Click YES, to be automatically sent straight to Interfolio’s Ohio State homepage on future visits.

    Screenshot of Interfolio option to come directly to Ohio State page when signing in with Yes button highlighted and prompt to Click Yes

 

🎦 Step-by-step video guide

Edit your login settings

Did you log in for the first time, and then forget to click “Yes” (or mistakenly click “No”)?
It is easy to correct this by changing a setting in your Interfolio account. Follow steps 1-3 above and then proceed as follows:

  1. On Ohio State’s Interfolio homepage, look for your name near the top right.
  2. Click on the menu carat symbol shown to the right of your last name, to display your Interfolio account menu.

  3. Click Account Settings, under the Account Options heading, to view the Settings page.

    Screenshot of name at upper right of Ohio State Interfolio homepage with menu icon circled and arrow by Account Settings menu option

     

  4. In the left-hand navigation column on the Settings page, click on Signing in & Password.
  5. Under the Default account heading, click on the option for The Ohio State University, and then click the Save button below to retain this change.
  6. To return to Ohio State’s Interfolio homepage, follow the steps below.

Return to Ohio State's Interfolio homepage

The following steps also work if you mistakenly clicked the Interfolio dossier link instead of the Ohio State logo, when you first logged in.

Begin by taking steps 1 and 2, just above, to re-access your Interfolio account menu; then take the following steps below.

  1. Under the Switch Accounts heading near the top, click The Ohio State University.

  2. Wait for Ohio State’s Interfolio homepage to load.

    Screenshot of name at upper right of Ohio State Interfolio homepage with menu icon circled and arrow by Ohio State as account switch option
Frequently Asked Questions

 

What data in FAR is automatically pulled in from other Ohio State systems?

  1. Personal Data, Positions, Academic Appointment, and Grants Data > Workday
    • Grants data is editable.
    • The following sections contain some data that is not editable, signified by a lock symbol next to a data field: personal, position and academic appointments:
      • If the lock symbol is not displayed, the data can be edited.
      • If incorrect data displays in an uneditable field, this information must be corrected in Workday. Please contact your area’s HR team for more guidance. Workday data cannot be changed by the FIS team.
  2. Undergraduate, Graduate and Professional Courses > University Registrar
    • This data is not editable.
    • If incorrect course data is displayed, first seek help from your academic area’s course scheduler before contacting the Office of the University Registrar. Based on the information that the course scheduler provides, you may also need to contact the University Registrar for assistance. The University Registrar’s course data cannot be changed by the FIS team. 

A colleague recommended I try using an ORCID account to manage my publications information. What do you suggest, and what Ohio State resources do you recommend to help me learn more about ORCID?
Ohio State encourages people to use ORCID to manage their publications information. Due to a current issue, Interfolio does not consistently import information directly from ORCID into Interfolio. We recommend you build your information in ORCID; export to a BibTeX file; and then import into your Interfolio account from this BibTeX file.

Additional guidance from University Libraries: What is ORCID?

Can I import into Interfolio from Google Scholar?
You cannot import directly from Google Scholar. Instead, you can manage your information in Google Scholar; export to a BibTeX file; and then import into your Interfolio account from this BibTeX file.

Additional guidance from Interfolio: Import Scholarly Contributions Citations with Generic Import

Additional guidance for faculty in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES),
provided by Dr. Tracy Kitchel, CFAES Senior Associate Dean and Director of Faculty and Staff Affairs:
🎦 Video: Export From Google Scholar, Then Import Into Interfolio
 

Does FAR have a report that aligns with the current core dossier outline?
Ohio State’s Faculty Information System (FIS) team, which manages Interfolio, is currently building a core dossier report in FAR. Once this report is available, detailed guidance will be provided in an update to this webpage. In the interim, if you have questions, please contact an Interfolio Coordinator in your college or tenure initiating unit (TIU). In addition to being first points of contact for their faculty’s questions about Interfolio, Interfolio Coordinators are responsible for their area’s appointment, reappointment, and promotion and tenure processes. If there is a problem with Interfolio, your area’s Interfolio Coordinator can escalate the issue to the FIS team.

My college has allocated resources and staff to help faculty input their activity information in FAR. How do I give my administrative assistant access to my FAR account in Interfolio?
Faculty can provide proxy (delegate) access to their FAR account. In Interfolio this is called “emulate” access. Faculty can provide emulate access after taking the following into consideration:

  • Faculty members are ultimately responsible for information input into their account, whether personally or by another on the faculty member’s behalf.
  • Interfolio does not provide logging information, so it is not possible for someone to discern when information was added or by whom.
  • To be assigned proxy access, the delegate must also have a FAR account. Full-time and associated Ohio State faculty automatically have Interfolio access. Staff accounts are requested and managed by the academic area’s Interfolio Coordinator(s). If you want to give emulate access to a staff member who does not have an Interfolio FAR account, contact your area’s Interfolio Coordinator(s) for assistance.

Additional guidance from Interfolio: Configure Faculty Account Access

Additional guidance from Ohio State’s Office of Faculty Affairs: FAR Emulation Considerations

 



Table of Contents



FAR Faculty Quickstart Guide 


Most faculty will manage the majority of their information in the following areas of FAR:

  1. Profile
  2. Activities
  3. Vita & Biosketches
🎦 FAR faculty login & tips for data entry
Profile

The Profile area of FAR contains the following sections. See farther below for tips to help you make the most of your time working in the Profile area.

  1. Personal Information
  2. Contact Information
  3. Biographical Narrative
  4. Current Appointment
  5. Academic Appointments
  6. Administrative and Other Appointments
  7. Degrees
  8. Fellowships, Internships, Residency
  9. Certifications
  10. Licensures
  11. Additional Work Experience
  12. Areas of Expertise and Interests
Tips for working in FAR’s Profile area

  • Use the Profile area’s Jump to Section button (top left) and Show All and Hide All options (top right).

    Screenshot of Profile with arrows highlighting FAR Jump To button and Show All Hide All options
  • The Profile area has a combination of editable and non-editable information. Sections which cannot be edited contain a lock symbol. The following sections display data which is imported from Workday, so cannot be edited in Interfolio:
    1. Personal Information: First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name, Suffix
    2. Contact Information: Office Number, Office Building, Email Address

    3. Current Appointment: Current Academic Rank(s); Position Title(s)

      ✓ When incorrect data displays in an uneditable field, this information must be corrected in Workday. For assistance, please contact your area’s HR team.
      ✓ To leave an uneditable section and return to the Profile page, click the Cancel button in the lower right.

      Screenshot of FAR uneditable data alert highlighted by rectangle and lock highlighted by circle
Activities

The Activities area is where faculty will input most of their information. Instructions are provided at the top of all pages, throughout the Activities area.

  • General Activities instructions appear at the top of the overall Activities page.
  • Activity-specific instructions are provided at the top of each activity section.
     
Vitas and Biosketches

To access the OSU Standard Faculty CV report, which aligns with the OAA core dossier outline (opens PDF):

  1. Click Vitas & Biosketches, then click Legacy Vitas to access the Vitas & Biosketches page

    Screenshot of FAR navigation menu with arrows to Vitas and Biosketches and its drop down menu option Legacy Vitas

  2. To open the CV report, click on the eye icon at the far right of the OSU Standard Faculty CV, under the Vita Admin heading near the top

    Screenshot of top of FAR Vitas & Biosketches page with eye icon highlighted for accessing OSU Standard Faculty CV report

FAR Workflow Tips 

Here are some organizational and time-saving tips to help faculty input their information in Interfolio’s Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR) tool. Much of this information is displayed in the OSU Standard Faculty CV report, which is designed to generate a summary of a faculty member’s research, service, and teaching activities, and configured to align with the OAA core dossier outline (PDF).

Please note

This resource complements FAR Faculty Quickstart Guide , a separate resource that provides an overview of the main areas that most faculty will use in FAR.

This guide does not provide guidance on appointment, promotion and tenure, or review requirements, which may vary by college or TIU. For guidance on where activities should appear, or what citation format to use, please contact the Interfolio Coordinators in your college or TIU.

Managing your activities data is an ongoing process. The more often you update your information, the less “heavy lifting” you will have to do when you are required to submit documentation for a review, promotion or tenure process.

Assemble your materials and tools 

To make the most of your time, it is helpful to have the following available as you work:

  • Strong and persistent Internet connection: if your connection is weak or sporadic, you may not be saving your work
  • Laptop or PC with up-to-date software (one or two browsers and Microsoft Word)
  • Electronic copy of your current CV (e.g., in Microsoft Word or a PDF)
  • Electronic copy of OAA’s current core dossier outline (PDF)
  • At least one monitor or screen; two are helpful but not essential
Getting started

The first few times you access Interfolio, try to set aside at least 30 minutes for each visit, and set yourself the following goals:

  1. Learn how to log in
  2. Understand where you need to go to input your activities information
  3. Know how to pull up your CV report and refresh it, to confirm it displays newly added data

    ✓ To see where to input your activities information and for guidance accessing your CV report: VIEW: FAR faculty login and activity tips
Managing your data entry

Use multiple separate browser windows and/or tabs to help you move from place to place. Keep your electronic CV open (Word window 1) to help you input an activity in FAR (browser window/tab 1), then move to Interfolio’s CV report (browser window/tab 2) to refresh your view and confirm your new entry appears on the report.

Other tips

Many faculty report that the following approaches have helped maximize their productivity: 

  • Try to schedule small blocks of time when you can anticipate fewer distractions
  • Divide your work into bite-sized pieces you can complete in 15-20 minutes
  • Try to get a little bit done each day to help yourself learn faster and sustain momentum
  • To sustain momentum, stop when you still have a bit to do, and know how to do it
  • Use a “parking lot” (such as a notebook or separate Word file) for ideas and notes you need to capture but which aren’t on point
  • Take notes as you go and save them for future reference (e.g., things you wish you’d known ahead of time; methods for streamlining your work)

Above all, give yourself plenty of time. Many people find it helpful to allocate time to work on different sections from day to day, to limit data entry fatigue. You may also need to consult at least once with faculty affairs experts in your college or TIU.

 

Ohio State University Extension faculty using Interfolio’s Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR) tool should consult faculty-specific FAR guidance.

FAR resources for OSU Extension programming staff will be added in autumn 2024, after development in collaboration with Interfolio Coordinators in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and the OSU Extension Learning and Organizational Development (LOD) team.

OSU Extension’s LOD team supports Extension operations by monitoring, assessing and summarizing the outcomes and impacts that educational personnel provide for their community clientele. Their practices include management of Extension’s institutional program reporting; training and support for personnel in the documentation of their mission-supporting activities and accomplishments; and analysis and summarization of those activities and their impacts for dissemination to Extension and CFAES administrators, funders, stakeholders and others.

Learn more about CFAES reporting

Help for administrators of FAR


Activity input periods — initiating and approving faculty input processes
Communication — communicating with faculty users through the module
 

🎦 Interfolio vendor FAR videos

FAR help videos
FAR reports video 
 

🎦 Ohio State Interfolio videos

Library of Ohio State Interfolio videos

Interfolio support is provided by Ohio State’s Faculty Information System (FIS) team in collaboration with Interfolio Coordinators in each college or TIU.

Interfolio Coordinators (ICs) are embedded in each college or TIU and designated as first points of contact for Interfolio questions. The ICs includes colleges’ associate deans of faculty affairs or equivalent, plus a small group of staff with high level faculty affairs responsibilities. ICs have Appointments, Reappointments, Promotion and Tenure (APT) expertise and oversee faculty affairs policies and procedures. They partner with the FIS team to co-manage staff accounts and workflows in Interfolio. Questions for ICs may include:

  • Expectations or requirements in your college or TIU’s APT or core dossier outline (opens PDF), such as deadlines or timelines
  • How to manage narratives in Interfolio’s Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR) tool
  • Unlocking a faculty candidate section in a Review, Promotion & Tenure (RPT) case
  • Guidance for meeting case review requirements in an RPT case
  • Information to include in a faculty candidate’s committee recommendation letter
  • How to manage a conflict of interest for a specific case in RPT
  • Interfolio staff accounts (requests, changes, roles)

The FIS team.. 

  • supports the Interfolio system itself;
  • builds and manages specific system integrations and tools; 
  • engages with the Interfolio vendor about updates, patches, roadmaps, feature requests, and issues; and 
  • represents the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation (OTDI) on the Interfolio project team. 

The FIS team partners with ICs and Interfolio Steering Group members, joining Vice Provost for Academic Policy and Faculty Resources Helen Malone to provide Interfolio training and consultations, often in concert with faculty affairs teams. To contact the FIS team, email your questions to interfolio@osu.edu. Please include “Interfolio” in the subject line. Questions for the FIS team may include:

  • Interfolio training requests
  • Requesting a new Interfolio feature or a change to a current feature
  • Reporting a current Interfolio problem (e.g., a login issue)