All official websites, including these of departments and research groups, must comply with the rules for Oxford University website. For up-to-date information e.g. what domain name you can request for project's website as well as where it can be hosted please read this page.
Recommended and supported services
List of recommended and supported solutions for different types of websites/web activities that are available to all members/research groups of Department of Physics:
User profile page
This is available to all eligible Physics members. Each user has edit access to the area within the main Department of Physics website (https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk). Users can edit information using a built-in editor, upload files (100MB in total), change their profile’s image, etc. Information published on user profile pages should be kept up-to-date. For more information how to access profile pages and edit their content, please see this page.
Research section page
This is similar to the user profile page but it is aimed at research groups and projects taking place within the Department of Physics. Content can be edited by multiple users using the built-in editor, files can be uploaded and new pages created - see the help for editing web pages guide. As it is part of the main Physics website it complies with the appearance and branding of the main Physics website as well as the University rules for official websites and accessibility. Each research project should apply for an area under the research section and keep its content up-to-date. Please email communication@physics.ox.ac.uk if you need a section for your research project.
Personal web space
Before creating a personal web page please first edit your profile page on the departmental website. There are the following options for personal web space:
Personal web space on the University IT services web server (recommended service) – all members of Oxford University can request web space for a personal website (max 250MB, HTML). For more information about this service, how to request it etc. please see How to use the personal web pages service. If default 250MB is not enough use the OU IT Self-Service and search for Website Quota Increase.
Personal web space on a Physics web server (only if there is a good reason why Personal web space on the University IT Services server cannot be used) – on request, some personal web space can be made available on departmental web servers. It is suitable for hosting simple HTML personal websites, must be work-related and it must not be used for web applications, or to run server-side scripts, such as PHP, for security reasons. Please see this page for more information.
Group web space
Before creating a custom group web page please first edit your research section on the departmental website. There are following options:
IT Services has built an exciting new web platform for the University based on Drupal. Project is called MOSAIC. To get a better idea of what Mosaic is capable of browse selections of sites. To request a new site use this Site Request form. There are some guidance on how to plan, build and launch a website using MOSAIC. Support is provides through the IT Services help desk by email oxfordmosaic@it.ox.ac.uk or phone on 01865 (6)12345. There is a specialist training course from the IT Learning Center. Note: MOSAIC solution is built in Drupal 7. The end of life for Drupal 7 is set for 5th January 2025. The university has contracted for extended support of Drupal 7 for Oxford Mosaic until October 2026. This has been enabled by the Transforming Oxford's Digital Communications Programme and means that the Mosaic Service can continue to provide security-supported hosting of platform websites through to October 2026, while the New CMS Platform and Migration projects carry out the transition to Drupal 10 on Oxford FRESCO (the new CMS platform that will replace Mosaic). If you can wait, it is recommended to set up your website on FRESCO to avoid migration from MOSAIC when it is deprecated. Support for researchers: a free personal consultation to discuss your requirements, a demonstration of the Mosaic functionality, and talk about how you can use the platform to best effect. Cost of the service: In most cases you should be able to use this services for free (current pricing). IT Services provides additional support (charges may apply) such us help with setting up a custom web address - add-on services page lists all currently available services.
on request, some group web space can be made available on departmental web servers. It is suitable for hosting simple HTML group websites, must be work-related and it must not be used for web applications, or to run server-side scripts, such as PHP, for security reasons. Please see this page for more information.
more information about development of custom website can be found under: Custom websites and web applications (bottom of this page)
Teaching materials
To maintain lecture resources and make them available to students over the Internet, we recommend using Canvas. Canvas is the University’s new Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). If you need to add or update a course on the Canvas platform, please contact the teaching team in Department of Physics.
Collaborations
For research groups/projects that require web space for storing e.g. meeting notes, project-related documents such as guidelines, instructions etc. and be accessible over the Internet by the project's members, we can set up on request one of the solutions below:
Research File Service - The Research File Service (RFS) provides a reliable, resilient, secure, and scalable University-approved central storage facility for active research data. RFS users are provided with the assurance that their research data is safely protected, and accessible.
Research File Service - The Research File Service (RFS) provides a reliable, resilient, secure, and scalable University-approved central storage facility for active research data. RFS users are provided with the assurance that their research data is safely protected, and accessible.
External public SharePoint Online site https://unioxfordnexus.sharepoint.com/sites/PHYS-file-share to share large files with external collaborators. When a new external user, who is not already registered in Office 365, is invited to access a file, they wil need to create a 'guest' profile in Office365 for the first time.
Video and audio hosting
The Podcasting at Oxford service provides two ways in which to make your audio and video content available. The University has its own site in iTunes U. For more details, go to http://itunes.ox.ac.uk. The iTunes U service requires the listener or viewer to be using the iTunes software. For those who don't have the iTunes software, podcasts can also be accessed using a web browser at http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/.
Departmental Vimeo channel – please contact Media Services Unit for more information.
Conferences/workshops
Using the University's Online Store is a convenient way for departments to sell goods and services via the Internet. The Online Store comes with modules that can be used to manage payment and registration as well as to maintain a simple website for a range of events such as workshops and conferences, from small to complex. To start using the online store you must first complete a set of courses. Check with your sub-departmental administrator as they may be already using the online store. For more information about online store facilities, courses please check this website: https://finance.admin.ox.ac.uk/purchasing
Custom conference and workshop website – at present we can help you with setting up a simple website including registration and payment (via the University of Oxford Online store).
Please contact itsupport@physics.ox.ac.uk as soon as possible to discuss different aspects of running a workshop/event, so we can suggest the best solution.
Publications
Symplectic Elements is a central University tool that helps to record bibliographic and other information about research outputs. Symplectic provides a simple web-based interface for adding and reviewing research information held in personal user accounts, which are stored in a secure central server. All publications stored in the Symplectic Elements systems are displayed automatically on a profile page as well as under research pages on the main Physics website. On this page you can find information on how to request a Symplectic account.
LabArchives is a secure and flexible web-based system available for groups within University of Oxford.
Custom websites and web applications
Before taking on development and design of a custom website or web application, please consider the recommended and supported solutions listed above. Contact Physics IT Support team via itsupport@physics.ox.ac.uk as soon as possible to talk about requirements and to work out the best way to achieve them. Developing a custom website or application is a large undertaking: development, design, hosting and maintenance. Typical options available for this type of website:
Web site design/development
The Physics IT support team provide free consultancy, advice and recommendations but unfortunately we do not have enough resources to provide support with design or development of the custom websites or web applications.
It is recommended to contact MOSAIC team to discuss your needs and if they can be achieved using this framework.
If you want to hire an external company or project developer for your project's website design and development you will need to carry out appropriate financial and non-financial compliance activities including a third-party security assessment and data protection by design assessment.
Web Hosting
A comprehensive web hosting service with a full range of advanced features provided by University of Oxford IT Service
Department of Physics, Virtual Machine (VM) – charged per year (Linux/Windows 2GB of RAM, 1 CPU, 50 GB HD). The Physics IT support team must be contacted to discuss details of the project and assess if it is secure to host it on a departmental VM. For more information please contact itsupport@physics.ox.ac.uk
Web sites related to University of Oxford activities can only be hosted on the servers within University of Oxford network. If you want to use an external hosting service, you will need to carry out appropriate financial and non-financial compliance activities including a third-party security assessment and data protection by design assessment.