How to set up and use Science CV: logins, account links, delegates and document tips

NNLM Region 7 staff walked attendees through setting up a Science CV account, linking persistent identifiers and creating compliant biographical common-form documents for NIH submissions. Kimberly Carlo (Region 7) demonstrated logging in via ORCID, accessing the NCBI dashboard, creating a test biosketch and using linked third-party accounts to prepopulate fields.

Practical steps and tips: presenters recommended signing in with ORCID or eRA Commons to ensure persistent identifiers are captured and validation passes. Kimberly demonstrated that Science CV populates profile fields from linked accounts and highlights required fields with an asterisk so drafts indicate missing information. She also showed how to create a new document, choose the NIH biographical common form format, and transfer data from an older biosketch if needed.

Key constraints to follow: the biographical sketch supplement’s personal statement is limited to 3,500 characters; honors entries are limited to 15; contributions to science are limited to five items; and the common form has no page limit but enforces field-level validations. Kimberly said applicants who have no contributions to science should use "NA" in that required field when applicable.

Delegates and certification: presenters explained that Science CV allows users to add delegates who may prepare or populate drafts, but only the investigator can certify and download the official PDF used for grant submission. Kimberly demonstrated the certified-PDF workflow, showing the certification metadata that appears when an investigator completes the download and certification steps.

Removed features and citation handling: presenters confirmed there no longer appears to be an option to include a public My Bibliography link on the common form and that some citation placements are now restricted (for example, contributions to science cannot include additional linked bibliographies). Attendees were advised to consult NIH FAQs for details on citation formatting.

Follow-up: presenters said they will distribute slides, links and a recording and encouraged participants to check program-specific funding notices for any exceptions or special instructions.