The origin of stored research data is called the “research source.” Research sources may reflect external sources, such as iwave and DonorSearch, or they may reflect institution-specific sources of information. These institution-specific sources may include items such as staff ratings and evaluations, newspaper items, obituary clippings, or any other collection of data that provides insight or additional understanding of a record within your database. 

The following example describes how to create an institution-specific source of a "Staff Rating."

To add a new research source:

1. Go to the Research Configurations section of the database.

2. Select Add Research Source. The Add Research Source dialog box appears.

3. Complete the following:

   • Name: Enter the source name, such as “Staff Research.”

   • Status: Select Active.

   • Folder: Select an existing folder. If desired, create a new folder by selecting Other and entering the new folder name in the next field.

   • Scope: Select the scope that applies to this research source.

   • Realm: If desired, the source may be placed in a realm. If the source should be available to any user with the permission to view research items, leave the realm set to Unrestricted.

4. Select Save.

Once saved, the newly created research source page appears. From here, existing data keys may be added to the source, and new data keys may be created and associated with the source.