Policies for Web Developers and Vendors
The Scholars@ team offers limited support so that the data can be used in the intended manner, to feed accurate and
up-to-date information into various applications. However, the data is sourced from several institutional systems and
other trusted external sources, which makes the data structure complex. Troubleshooting typically involves many
steps, starting with the Duke website administrator.
About Scholars Feeds
We make Scholars available to data consumers using one of three methods: the SPARQL endpoint, the widgets, and
the Scholars Drupal modules, which uses the widgets. More details about these three methods are available in the
Data Consumers Guide
(http://about.scholars.duke.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Data%20Consumer's_Guide.pdf).
Drupal developers can take advantage of Scholars-specific modules that expose the widgets data as Drupal views.
While there is no definitive way to implement these modules, please refer to the DWS Scholars Module Wiki
(https://wiki.duke.edu/pages/viewpage.action?spaceKey=DrupalatDuke&title=DWS+Scholars+Module+Intro+101
&flashId=1561369284) for recommendations on configuring. Many of the data fields available in the widgets follow
a naming convention that will require some general knowledge of faculty processes and potentially the VIVO-ISF
ontology. In the Data Consumers Guide
(http://about.scholars.duke.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Data%20Consumer's_Guide.pdf), a Data Dictionary is
provided to explain what each of these fields provides.
Depending on which method you are using to retrieve Scholars data, you may experience some delays in getting
refreshed data into your system. Please be sure to document the expected refresh schedule for your website or
application.
Support Agreements: Required for Using Scholars Feeds
In order to consume Scholars data, you must have a support or maintenance agreement with the Duke organization
whose website you’re developing. Required for Duke developers and vendors, this support agreement should discuss
maintenance of the site after launch. The agreement should state:
All parties involved, their roles, and their organizations
Your willingness as a developer to be familiar with Scholars resources for data consumers
The refresh schedule to let the Duke web administrator know when to expect refreshed data from Scholars
How the Duke web administrator should contact you if there are problems with the site
How the Duke web administrator should request improvements, new features and bug fixes
Resources for Developers and Vendors
If you are a vendor who plans to feed Scholars data to a Duke website or application, please be aware of the
resources we provide to support Scholars data consumers. Before reaching out for support, we expect that you have
taken the time to read our documentation and subscribe to the data consumers listserv. Following are our support
expectations for vendors consuming Scholars data:
Review the Data Consumers Guide
(http://about.scholars.duke.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Data%20Consumer's_Guide.pdf).
Subscribe to the data consumer’s listserv by emailing scholars@duke.edu. This listserv will alert you about
downtimes and issues with the Scholars data feeds.
Attend quarterly Data Consumers’ group meetings when possible and meet other developers who are using
Scholars data, as well as learn about new features and data in Scholars@Duke.
Implementing Scholars Feeds
Implementing Scholars data fields using either the widgets, the Scholars Drupal module, and the SPARQL queries
requires different levels of technical expertise. Adding the individual widgets to a webpage is as simple as pasting
embed code but working with the JSON code or the Drupal module requires deeper knowledge of these tools. The
Scholars team is not staffed to coach users on how to use these technologies, but the Scholars data consumers
community is experienced and helpful, so getting to know others can help you find creative solutions to your
questions.
If you find that the widgets or the SPARQL endpoint are not working as documented, please submit a Help
ticket (https://about.scholars.duke.edu/content/submit-scholarsduke-help-ticket)or email scholars@duke.edu with
complete information about the problem you’re seeing. Note: Please do not ask the Duke web administrator to
submit a ticket about a problem with the feeds. We may need technical details from a developer.
If you’re using the Scholars Drupal module:
Read the DWS Scholars Module Wiki
(https://wiki.duke.edu/pages/viewpage.action?spaceKey=DrupalatDuke&title=DWS+Scholars+Module+
Intro+101&flashId=1561369284) for more information.
Contact oit-dws@duke.edu to report problems with the Scholars Drupal module.
If you need suggestions about implementing the Drupal module, you can join the Duke community of
Drupal developers by subscribing (https://lists.duke.edu/sympa/subscribe/duke-drupal) to the
Drupal@Duke listserv.
For more help with Drupal, read the DWS Scholars Module Wiki
(https://wiki.duke.edu/pages/viewpage.action?spaceKey=DrupalatDuke&title=DWS+Scholars+Module+
Intro+101&flashId=1561369284) or email the Drupal@Duke lis