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MUSC External Affiliate Access

The SCresearch Directory identity provider system supports username and password creation, approval, and account management for MUSC External Affiliates.

The SCresearch Directory identity provider system supports username and password creation, approval, and account management for MUSC External Affiliates. The system was developed by MUSC’s Biomedical Informatics Center (BMIC) and is managed by the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute (SCTR) SUCCESS Center.

MUSC External Affiliates are non-MUSC employees, (community partners, off-campus collaborators) who, for study purposes requires access to MUSC’s eIRB, CITI Training, REDCap, and/or SPARCRequest systems only.

External Affiliate accounts are created and managed by SUCCESS Center system administrators upon request by an authorized member of the study team.

This is a 2-step process that MUST be completed by a MUSC employee/authorized member of the study team acting as the Affiliate’s sponsor.

  1. Submit a SPARCRequest for an External Affiliate Login.
  2. Submit each Affiliate's information via the REDCAP form. 
  • Affiliate’s access is typically processed within 3 business days at no cost to the investigator.
  • External Affiliate Login sponsorships are valid for a period of 12-months at which time extensions must be requested by an authorized member of the MUSC study team via the REDCap form for continued access to the approved websites.
  • Sponsors of External Affiliates will receive email notices 30-days and 14-days prior to an Affiliate’s sponsorship expiration date.
  • Both the External Affiliate and their sponsor will receive an auto generated email from “MUSC External Affiliate – SCresearch” confirming when a new login sponsorship is created, or current sponsorship has been extended.
  • External Affiliate sponsors should request termination of sponsorship via the REDCap form when the Affiliate no longer requires access to the approved MUSC systems.
  • If an Affiliate’s email needs to be changed, the Affiliate’s sponsor should contact the SUCCESS Center and provide the updated email address.
  • Only one SPARCRequest is required per study. If a 'Locked' error message appears the study has an 'Active' EA Login SPARCRequest; please proceed to step 2.

Password Reset Instructions for Affiliates

The SCresearch Directory identity provider system ensures account security via password strength requirements and passwords are required to be updated a minimum of every 6 months.

External Affiliates can manage all password needs at https://directory.scresearch.org.

Affiliates or their Sponsors should NOT submit a ServiceNow ticket or contact the MUSC Helpdesk for login or password reset support. All password support is provided through the SCresearch Directory identity provider system above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Get quick answers to your most common questions about MUSC’s External Affiliate login, from access levels and expiration timelines to troubleshooting sponsorship requirements.

Q: What is the difference between an External Affiliate login and a “traditionally” sponsored NetID obtained through MUSC HR?
A: Individuals with an External Affiliate login will ONLY be able to access the following MUSC systems:

  1. REDCap
  2. eIRB
  3. SPARCRequest
  4. RMID
  5. CITI systems

A “traditionally” sponsored NetID, obtained through HR, allows for greater access (upon background check) to other MUSC systems (i.e., library, SharePoint, etc.) and may also include an MUSC email address.

Q: What MUSC systems will those with an External Affiliate login be able to access?
A: Individuals with an External Affiliate login will ONLY be able to access the following MUSC systems:

  1. REDCap
  2. eIRB
  3. SPARCRequest
  4. RMID
  5. CITI systems

Q: Is there a cost associated with obtaining an External Affiliate login?
A: No. there is no cost for obtaining an External Affiliate login.

Q: Who can sponsor an External Affiliate login?
A: Any member of the study team listed in SPARCRequest who has edit privileges may submit a request for an External Affiliate login. An External Affiliate cannot submit a request on their own behalf, nor can they serve as a sponsor of another External Affiliate

Q: Can an External Affiliate Login be processed for someone under 18?
A: No. Individuals under 18 must obtain a traditional HR-sponsored NetID.

Q: Why is the SPARCRequest “locked” when trying to request a new External Affiliate login?
A: Only one SPARCRequest per study is allowed; SPARC will not allow duplicate submissions. However, each External Affiliate’s information must be submitted via REDCap before their login can be created.

Q: My External Affiliate is working on multiple studies—what should I do?
A: If an External Affiliate is working across multiple projects, submit the SPARCRequest based on the study they will spend the majority of their time working on. Similarly, if you have already obtained an External Affiliate login through this process for one study, you do not have to request a new login for another study the External Affiliate may be working on.

Q: Do I need a SPARCRequest for each person?
A: No. You only need to submit one SPARCRequest, but you will need to complete the associated REDCap form for each External Affiliate that needs access. The REDCap form is unique to each External Affiliate.

Q: How long does it take to receive a login?
A: New logins will be issued by the SCTR SUCCESS Center and confirmed via email, directly to the External Affiliate and the listed MUSC sponsor within 2 business days. Within the confirmation email, the External Affiliate will receive a unique link to set up the custom External Affiliate login password.

Q: When an External Affiliate login is issued, does the individual still have to activate their login?
A: Yes. The recipient of the External Affiliate login will need to follow the instructions provided along with the confirmation email. Individuals will be instructed to set up a custom password using a unique link.

Q: How do External Affiliates log-in to the systems they will have access to?
A: A Where-Are-You-From (WAYF) screen will be displayed on the log in screen for each system External Affiliates are able to access. They should click “MUSC External Affiliate” to appropriately authenticate to REDCap, eIRB, SPARCRequest, RMID, or CITI systems.

Q: Why can’t the External Affiliate log into REDCap initially?
A: A verification email is sent to the External Affiliate’s email on file before the user can access REDCap for the first time. Please check all folders (inbox, junk, spam, and trash) for the verification email. Once verified, the External Affiliate can be added as a user to the study’s REDCap project.

Q: What is the registration process in eIRB for individuals with External Affiliate logins?
A: External Affiliates are automatically registered—no self-registration required.

Q: Does the login require VPN or 2-factor authentication?
A: No. An External Affiliate login does not allow 2-factor authentication or VPN connection. The External Affiliate login does not require 2-factor authentication or VPN to access the allotted MUSC systems.

Q: Will External Affiliates receive an MUSC email address?
A: No. External Affiliates will not be provided with an MUSC email address. If an MUSC email address is required for the work they do as part of the study, a member of the MUSC research team should submit a request to MUSC HR for a “traditional” NetID.

Q: Is a background check performed on individuals with External Affiliate logins?
A: No. a background check is not performed for External Affiliate login requests.

Q: What should I do if the External Affiliate needs access to a system that is not accessible with an External Affiliate login?
A: If access to another MUSC system is required for the work they do as part of the study, a member of the research team should instead submit a request to MUSC HR for a “traditional” NetID.

Q: Does the External Affiliate login process allow EMR access to outside research monitors/sponsors?
A: No. For information on how to obtain logins for external research monitors/sponsor auditors who need on-site Electronic Medical Record (EMR) access, please see the Electronic Medical Record Access for Research Monitors/Sponsor Auditors Policy and reach out to the EPIC Research team at epicresearch@musc.edu.

Q: Does an External Affiliate login expire?
A: Yes. External Affiliate logins are valid for one year. To request an extension for an additional year, submit a REDCap form requesting an extension.

Q: Can the login be terminated early?
A: Yes. External Affiliate logins can be terminated at any point by simply completing the request via the REDCap link, and indicating that you are requesting External Affiliate login termination.

Q: I have questions about this process. Who should I contact?
A: For questions about sponsoring an External Affiliate login, please contact the SUCCESS Center at SUCCESS@musc.edu.

Q: My External Affiliate is having difficulty logging in. Who should I contact?
A: Most login problems are related to incorrect or forgotten passwords, or failure to initially activate their login. The External Affiliate can reset the External Affiliate login password by selecting the “forgot password” hyperlink and completing the prompted instructions. If the affiliate’s email address needs to be changed as a part of the password reset, the sponsor or External Affiliate should contact the SUCCESS Center at SUCCESS@musc.edu for assistance.

Contact

Reach out to the SUCCESS Center with any additional questions or support needed. 

success@musc.edu