Website Elements

The recommendations for required elements listed below aim to improve consistency in website navigation and content. There are six primary recommendations that include adoption of standard elements such as:

  • A site-wide search function
  • A link back to the University and respective school home pages
  • A standard set of navigational headings
  • Specific and consistent faculty/staff information
  • Easy‐to‐find contact information

A list of web browsers and mobile devices that sites should be tested against for compatibility issues are also provided. It is recommended that sites be designed with mobile devices in mind.

1. Department home pages

Each department home page should feature the following elements:

  • Site‐wide search
  • Link back to the College and either the School of Arts & Sciences or Hajim School of Engineering home page
  • Link back to the University home page
  • Approved University, SAS, or Hajim logo (see Creative Services)

2. Top‐level navigation

Individual department websites should feature a top‐level* navigation scheme that is persistent throughout the site. Uniformity in menu titles is key to providing easy, consistent navigation for the wide range of users of our websites.

We recommend using the following menu titles:

  • About Us
  • People (includes faculty, staff, and students if applicable)
  • Undergraduate
  • Graduate
  • Research
  • News & Events

*Top‐level does not refer to the location of the navigation bar, but instead refers to striving for consistent and relevant navigation menu titles. Individual departments may have a need for additional menu items besides the ones listed above.

3. Faculty pages

Every faculty member should have a departmental page within the People area of the department’s site.

At minimum, the faculty person's page should include:

  • Name and title
  • Contact information (phone, email, office location)
  • A current photo
  • Highest degree earned
  • Current research interests and a research overview
  • List of selected papers/publications or projects
  • Current or representative list of courses taught
  • Awards/honors
  • A downloadable CV (pdf)

Optional:

  • A brief bio
  • Preferred personal pronouns
    • He/him/his
    • She/her/hers
    • They/them/theirs
    • Ask me my pronouns
    • Name only
  • Personal website URL*
  • Google Scholar URL
  • ORCID URL

*Note: Personal faculty websites should be a link on this page, not a substitute for the departmental faculty web page.

4. Contact information

On the department home page, a “Contact Us” area should be included with the mailing address and department phone number. If an email address is to be included, it should be a department email address, not an individual’s email address.

5. Web browser and device support

All websites should be tested in the following browsers and devices:

  • Android
  • Chrome
  • Edge
  • Firefox
  • Internet Explorer 8+
  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Opera
  • Safari

6. Mobile devices

As the portion of traffic to our websites from mobile devices increases, each department should have a plan for how their site functions in mobile devices. Sites should be tested in a variety of mobile devices to identify problem areas.