Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started
Learn how to update your Circle profile!
Logging In
Q: How do I log in?
Click the yellow "Sign In" button in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
Log in to The Circle using your email address and Sigma password. Your password is either your seven-digit member identification number, or the password you created when you received your invitation to join Sigma. If you have forgotten your information, please use the “Forgot Password” link on the member login screen.
Posting Research and Survey Requests
Q: I am conducting a research study and would like to ask Sigma members to participate. Is this allowed?
If you are interested in posting links to surveys for research studies, please do so in the "Global Member Forum" on The Circle. Do not post to multiple forums or locations.
Before posting, your research must be approved by your institution of higher education's Institutional Review Board (IRB).
All survey postings should be limited to the following information:
* Brief 1-2 sentence description of survey with invitation to participate
* Link to survey
* Contact information
The full scope or proposal of the project should not be included in the posting.
Sigma Volunteer Opportunities
Watch a brief tutorial to learn more about volunteering for Sigma!
Groups and Discussion Forum Postings
To be a part of group communications, you must join/subscribe to the group!
Q: How do I join/subscribe to a group?
Click “Groups” and then “My Subscriptions” to see a list of available communities. Select one of the delivery options (Real Time, Digest, No Email) for any groups you wish to join and then click the “Save” button at the bottom of the page.
Real time: sends an email every time a new message is posted
Daily digest: sends one email to you each morning, consolidating all posts from the previous day
No Email: No emails will be sent but you may still participate via the discussion board
Q: How do I leave a group?
Click “Groups” and then “My Groups" and select the appropriate group. From the group homepage, click on the yellow "Settings" button and select "Leave Community."
Q: How do I respond to others’ posts?
From a received email or the online discussion board, you can click either the “Reply to Group” link to send your message to the entire forum, or the “Reply to Sender” link to send your message only to the sender.
Q: How do I start a new discussion thread?
From the group, click "Post a Message" under the "Discussions" area. You may also click on "Participate" from the purple toolbar and select "Post a Message." You will have to select the group you wish to post to.
Q: I am conducting a research study and would like to ask Sigma members to participate. Is this allowed?
If you are interested in posting links to surveys for research studies, please do so in the "Global Member Forum" on The Circle. (Click on "Groups" then "My Subscriptions" to subscribe to the group. It will then appear when you click on "Groups" and then "My Groups.")
Before posting, your research must be approved by your institution of higher education's Institutional Review Board (IRB).
All survey postings should be limited to the following information:
* Brief 1-2 sentence description of survey with invitation to participate
* Link to survey
* Contact information
The full scope or proposal of the project should not be included in the posting.
Directory
Q: How do I find other Sigma members?
Click the “Directory” link found in the main navigation bar at the top of the site. The Directory's Advanced Search lets you search for other members based on a variety of parameters, including location, education, and job history.
Contact List
Q: How do I add contacts to my contact list?
There are several ways to add contacts to your list. When you perform a search in the Directory, you will see an “Add as contact” link next to each person in your search results. Just click this link to send a contact request. If you click through and view someone’s profile, you can click the contact request link just to the right of their profile picture. You can also add contacts by selecting from the My Networks link, accessible from the My Profile link in the top navigation, or by viewing any of the members of the groups to which you belong, by selecting My Groups from the My Profile link.
Q: What are "Networks"?
Networks are networking groups that are automatically created based on demographic information in your profile. They help you locate other members who live in your city or state, share your interests, have the same job title, and more.
Libraries
Q: How do I access my group’s resource library?
Click on "Groups" and then “My Groups” to find the group you’d like to access. If it is a Circle group, such as a community of interest, you'll see a series of purple tabs at the top of the group page; the library will be in the tabs. If it is a chapter website, the library will be in the green navigation bar at the top of the page.
Q: How do I upload a document?
In the resource libraries area, click the “Add Document” link in the left navigation. First, choose a title for your document, include a description (if you’d like), and select the library where the document will be placed. Hit "Save." “Step 2” allows you to browse for and upload your file.
Q: What kind of documents can I upload?
The system supports several file types, including PDFs, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, images, and even video. You are, however, prohibited from uploading copyright-protected documents that you do not have the rights to post.
Q: I have several related documents. Do I have to post them individually?
No. You can post related documents together, and we encourage you to do so. Follow steps 1 & 2 to upload your first file. Then, rather than saving, perform step 2 again to upload another file. Continue that process until all of your related files are uploaded, then add your tags and hit “Save.”
Q: Can someone else edit or delete my file?
As the owner of the document, only you or a system administrator can delete your document. If you’d like to delete it, just click the red “X” that appears when you view the document details.
Q: Can I download documents?
Absolutely. That’s why they are being shared. However, please note all of these documents have been submitted by your peers and have not been reviewed by us. You must evaluate and bear all risks associated with the use of any content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such content.
Other questions?
Please email us if you are having trouble regarding training, site design, content, user profile or other issues. Please allow one business day response time.