Creating a user account in the Discovery Portal allows you to:

• Save searches you use frequently
• Bookmark resources to revisit
• Customize your settings, including those for AI-related features
• Subscribe to Discovery Portal updates and announcements
• Participate in optional usability studies or beta testing

User accounts are optional and free to use. The Discovery Portal can be used without an account.

Creating or logging in to an account #

To create an account:

1. Click the Login button at the top right of the navigation bar.
2. Choose one of the available sign-in providers: ORCID or GitHub (more sign-in providers will be added in the future).
3. Sign in using your existing account credentials for the selected provider.
4. Authorize the Discovery Portal to authenticate your account.

If you have already created a Discovery Portal account, click the Login button again at any time to log back in and choose the same authentication provider you used previously. Because the Discovery Portal uses OAuth through trusted external providers (ORCID and GitHub), you do not need to manage a separate Discovery Portal password.

After logging in, you will be able to access your saved searches, saved resources, subscription preferences, and account settings.

⚠️Note: if you select a different sign-in provider to login in the future, your saved searches will not appear in your profile. For example, if you log in via GitHub in one visit and ORCID in a different visit, your saved searches from your GitHub login will NOT appear when logged in through ORCID.

Saving searches #

Saving searches allows you to quickly return to queries without needing to recreate filters or search terms every time you use the Discovery Portal. Saving searches also helps you monitor areas of ongoing research interest by getting updates on specific diseases or resource types.

To save a search:

1. Perform a search in the Discovery Portal using keywords, filters, or advanced search options.
2. Click the “Bookmark this search” icon.
3. Go to your account settings to access your saved searches at any time or remove them.

Saving resources #

You can save individual resources you find in the Discovery Portal to create a personalized collection you want to revisit later.

To save a resource:

1. Find a dataset, computational tool, sample, or other Discovery Portal record.
2. Click the Save button.
3. Go to your account settings to view or remove your saved resources.

Subscribing to emails #

Discovery Portal accounts include optional communication preferences that allow you to subscribe to email updates about new features, announcements, and important changes related to the Discovery Portal. To receive emails, you must opt-in. You can opt-out again at any time in your account using the toggle buttons.

If you select ORCID as your login provider and your email address is not visible through ORCID, you will first have to go to https://orcid.org/account and click the tab “Notification email frequency”. Then click “Manage your emails” and set visibility for “Everyone.”

Privacy and security #

When you create an account, the Discovery Portal stores limited information needed to support account functionality, such as email address, saved searches, account preferences, and login attempts. The Discovery Portal does not sell user information or use account data for advertising. The Discovery Portal uses secure OAuth authentication through trusted third-party identity providers such as ORCID and GitHub. Passwords are not stored directly by the Discovery Portal. The Discovery Portal infrastructure follows federal and institutional security practices.

If you have questions or need help with your account, please email NIAIDDataEcosystem@mail.nih.gov.

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