User Authentication FAQ

How are users authorized for Data Platform access?

Center users are authorized by the center administrator through the NACC Directory.

When a user is added to the directory, they provide a contact email address. When data platform access is authorized, the system uses this email to begin the account activation process.

How long does it take to get access?

Once your request is approved and you complete the activation step, access is typically granted within a couple of hours.

For more details, see the Getting Access steps.

What email address should I use?

Use your work email address — the one associated with your university or organization.

For most people, this is straightforward. If you're unsure, check with your center administrator or visit NACC Support.

note

If your email requires ORCiD (see the ORCiD list), make sure your ORCiD account is configured correctly before proceeding. See ORCiD Authentication.

How do I find my exact authentication email?

If your work email isn't being accepted, you can determine the exact email your organization provides for sign-in. See Determining your authentication email for instructions.

I don't see my organization in the list — which do I select?

When selecting your identity provider (your organization's sign-in system), you may not find an exact match for your email domain.

If you don't find what you need here, visit NACC Support for assistance.

Email domain lookup

If your email uses one of the domains below, search for the corresponding entry instead. For example, if your email is @medicine.wisc.edu, search for wisc.edu.

Your Email Domain	Search For
bwh.harvard.edu	harvard.edu
cumc.columbia.edu	columbia.edu
email.unc.edu	unc.edu
health.ucsd.edu	ucsd.edu
health.ucdavis.edu	ucdavis.edu
hs.uci.edu	uci.edu
hsph.harvard.edu	harvard.edu
icahn.mssm.edu	mssm.edu
ini.usc.edu	usc.edu
jh.edu	jhu.edu
jhmi.edu	jhu.edu
loni.usc.edu	usc.edu
mail.nih.gov	nih.gov
med.miami.edu	miami.edu
med.umich.edu	umich.edu
med.unc.edu	unc.edu
med.usc.edu	usc.edu
medicine.wisc.edu	wisc.edu
mednet.ucla.edu	ucla.edu
mgh.harvard.edu	harvard.edu
neurology.ufl.edu	ufl.edu
neurology.unc.edu	unc.edu
nyumc.org	nyulangone.org
pennmedicine.upenn.edu	upenn.edu
phhp.ufl.edu	ufl.edu
salud.unm.edu	unm.edu
u.northwestern.edu	northwestern.edu
uabmc.edu	uab.edu

Emails that must use ORCiD

If your email requires ORCiD, see the full list and setup instructions on the ORCiD Authentication page.

How do I use ORCiD for authentication?

See the dedicated ORCiD Authentication page for complete setup instructions.

How do I activate my account ("claim" my record)?

You'll receive an email with a link to activate your account. The email uses the word "claim" — this just means confirming the account belongs to you.

• If you sign in with your university/organization: Click the link, select your institution, and sign in as usual.
• If you sign in with ORCiD: Make sure your ORCiD account is configured first, then click the link and select ORCID.

See Selecting Your Identity Provider for step-by-step instructions.

What do I do if I got an error when I claimed my registry record?

Errors happen when the system can't match your sign-in to the email address on file. This usually means one of these things happened:

warning

Fixes to activation errors are processed by a nightly job, so corrections take until the next day to take effect. Getting it right the first time avoids this delay.

• You clicked "Log On" without changing the default selection. The page defaults to ORCID, but most users need to change it to their institution. If you didn't select your university first, you signed in with ORCiD by mistake.

  Fix: Retry the activation and select your institution before clicking Log On.

• Your email doesn't match what your institution's sign-in returns. This is common with emails like medicine.wisc.edu (where the institution uses wisc.edu) or medical center domains that aren't directly authenticated.

  Fix: Reply to the activation email and NACC can update the email for you. Use the authentication test to find your correct email.

• You're using ORCiD but your account isn't configured correctly.

  Fix: Review the ORCiD setup steps and try again.

If none of these apply, visit NACC Support and we'll help you sort it out.

How do I retry claiming my registry record?

1. Visit https://cilogon.org/me and click the "Delete All" button to clear any saved sessions.
2. Click the activation link from your email again and follow the identity provider selection steps.

Why do I keep getting emails to activate my account?

This can happen if:

• An error occurred during your previous activation attempt — see what to do if you got an error
• Your email address was updated in the directory, which triggers a new activation

Note that email addresses are case-sensitive in this system. jane.smith@example.com and Jane.Smith@example.com are treated as different addresses.