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Frequently Asked Questions
Purpose and background
Kansas State University's integrated academic, research and engagement information management system, designed to elevate and streamline how academic achievements are shared and leveraged across the institution.
By automatically synthesizing scholarly data from both internal and external sources, the platform creates dynamic faculty profiles that accurately highlight K-State's intellectual contributions.
Faculty, staff and students will have access to the Wildcat Scholar platforms: Symplectic Elements and Dimensions.
K-State selected Digital Science to provide the university with this new system called Wildcat Scholar.
The Wildcat Scholar System fulfills several critical needs: showcasing our faculty expertise, facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration, streamlining reporting processes and increasing visibility of K-State's scholarly impact.
This platform helps amplify K-State's research stories while making our expertise more accessible to external stakeholders.
This platform directly supports our Next-Gen K-State strategic plan by enhancing operational excellence, increasing research exposure, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, signaling that K-State is open for business, being a positive force for Kansas and promoting One K-State.
Faculty profile management
Faculty will have direct access to review, edit and manage their Wildcat Scholars profiles. The system automatically imports data from publication databases, grants systems and other university data sources, requiring minimal manual entry.
The system will automatically import publications from major research databases including Scopus, Dimensions, PubMed and Crossref. It will also integrate with internal systems for teaching activities, grants and other scholarly outputs.
Above post-doc faculty and research staff will have automatic access to Wildcat Scholar. Graduate and undergraduate students will not have access to Wildcat Scholar: Elements.
All faculty, staff, and students at K-State automatically receive access to Wildcat Scholar: Dimensions.
Yes, the system includes delegation features that allow you to assign profile management responsibilities to a designated colleague or staff member who has access to Wildcat Scholars.
Data integration and collaboration
The platform includes features to discover potential collaborators based on research interests, expertise and project history. You can search by capability areas including water, biomanufacturing, arts, STEM, engagement and many more.
Data is collected from multiple sources including HR systems, course data, research databases, grant management systems and faculty-provided information. The system is designed to minimize manual data entry.
Training and support
Yes, comprehensive training will be available through multiple formats including in-person workshops, online tutorials and documentation. College-level superusers will also be trained to provide local support throughout the spring semester.
A dedicated support team will be established to assist with any questions or issues. Support will be available through wildcatscholar@k-state.edu, as well as help desk tickets and in-person consultations.
Vendor selection
K-State selected Digital Science to provide the university with a new academic, research, and engagement management system in 2025.
Symplectic Elements is a configurable academic, research, and engagement management system that consolidates data from multiple sources to create a single source of truth for an institution’s activity.
It streamlines workflows for data collection, reporting, compliance, funding management, and research assessment, while showcasing academic achievements through branded, public profiles.
By integrating automated data harvesting, advanced reporting, and open access compliance tools, Symplectic Elements reduces administrative burden and provides actionable insights across the research lifecycle.
Dimensions was built to provide a more open and comprehensive research data infrastructure, enabling users to explore connections across the entire research lifecycle.
Unlike traditional abstracting and indexing databases, it integrates grants, publications, datasets, clinical trials, patents, and policy documents into one platform, offering a 360° view of research.
This approach transforms how research is discovered, accessed, and evaluated by linking data and empowering deeper analysis.
Visit Dimensions' FAQs to learn more.
Implementation process
Visit our Taskforce page to see the complete list.
Yes. The IT support team includes:
- Nick Austin, Division of Information Technology
- Matt Fuller, Division of Information Technology
- Cornelius Marshall, Division of Information Technology
- Ed Puckett, Division of Information Technology
- Lowell Scott, Office of Vice President for Research
- Kris Shewmaker, Division of Information Technology
- Mike Webster, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President