How to use ScAuthor

Sign in with ORCID

ScAuthor uses ORCID to verify you are a researcher. Sign in once — that is your account.

1. Open Sign in and choose Continue with ORCID.
2. Authorise ScAuthor on ORCID (sandbox in development, production ORCID live).
3. Complete your profile: display name, institution, and field of study help Discover recommendations.

Tip. ORCID is for identity and authorship — not for signing into email or Google Drive.

Sign in →

Find your way around the dashboard

After sign-in you land on Home. The sidebar is the map of the product.

1. Home — snapshot of papers, deadlines, and recent activity.
2. Project tracker — Papers, Lab, and Grants tabs for day-to-day project work.
3. Discover — browse open collaboration listings, journals, researchers, and funding radar.
4. Profile — ORCID status, contact preferences, and plan badge.

Open dashboard →

Add a paper to the tracker

Your tracker is private by default. Add a title first — you can post on Discover later if you need help.

1. Go to Project tracker → Papers (or New project from the sidebar).
2. Enter a title and basic project details. Save to create the paper workspace.
3. Move the paper through pipeline stages as work progresses (idea → analysis → writing → submission).
4. Use the journal submission log to record where you submitted and what happened.

Tip. Update the stage when a real milestone happens — not every day. That keeps Lab boards honest.

Add a paper →

Set authorship early

Roster co-authors by ORCID before submission politics start. Consent and CRediT roles live with the paper.

1. Open the paper → Authorship (or listing) section.
2. Add co-authors by ORCID when you have it, or by name if they have not joined yet.
3. Invite them to confirm their role from their ScAuthor account.
4. Include contributors as co-authors when their work warrants it — then add them to the roster.

Use Lab for team visibility

Lab is for PI-led groups and shared progress — not a second paper list.

1. Open Project tracker → Lab.
2. Create or join a lab project, then add members (student / staff / PI roles).
3. Link owned papers to a lab project so the PI can see stage progress.
4. Use People to see collaborators across your papers.

Open Lab →

Recruit or apply on Discover

When you need a specific skill — stats, writing, review — post an open stage. Contributors apply to that stage.

1. From your paper, open stages you need help with and publish the listing on Discover.
2. Write a clear teaser title and what credit you offer (authorship terms).
3. Browse Discover to find projects in your field and apply with a short statement of intent (min. 100 characters).
4. After acceptance, messaging and shared document links unlock between matched researchers.

Tip. Free accounts can apply to a limited number of projects per month; Plus removes that cap.

Browse Discover →

Journal finder & funding radar

Pick outlets and deadlines from inside the same workspace — not a pile of browser bookmarks.

1. Discover → Journal finder — check Scopus coverage and CiteScore for target journals.
2. Discover → Funding radar (or Tracker → Grants) — scan calls and save personal deadlines.
3. Attach a target journal on the paper when you are ready to aim for submission.

Open journal finder →

Free vs Plus

Start free. Upgrade when you outgrow tracker or application limits.

1. Free — ORCID profile, tracker for a few active papers, Discover browse, limited monthly applications.
2. Plus — unlimited tracker papers and applications, full journal finder, full funding radar, priority support.
3. Plus includes a 30-day free trial: add a card at checkout, but you are not charged until the trial ends. Cancel during the trial and you pay nothing.
4. Lab and Institution plans are for teams — contact support for onboarding.

Tip. Free never needs a card. A card is only required if you start a Plus trial.

See pricing →