In May 2026, Knowledge Commons and all affiliate Commons nodes adopted the CILogon identity management system. This page provides an overview and specific help for Connecting Existing Accounts and Registering for New Accounts.
Start Here if if you need to register for a new account
The New Login Screen
You'll notice that Knowledge Commons has a new login screen (pictured below) that appears when you click the Log In link.
Knowledge Commons is implementing a new academy-owned identity management system (IDMS) called CILogon. It enables the Commons to support over 5,000 institutional and identity provider logins from InCommon or EduGAIN members worldwide. In addition, users may choose to use their Google, ORCID, GitHub, or Microsoft account to register and log into the site.
If you are not affiliated with an institution or organization that is an InCommon identity provider and do not have a Google, ORCID, GitHub or Microsoft account, signing up for one of the open methods is free and simply requires a valid email address. Once you’ve chosen your new login method, you will be able to link your account. To see if your institution’s single-sign-on is supported visit CILogon.org.
Connecting an Account for Existing Members
This section of instructions is for members with existing accounts. If you are setting up a new account, please see the Registering for a New Account section.
- Navigate to the Commons site that you typically use and press the Login button in the upper-right corner of the screen
- In the dropdown menu labeled ORCID, choose your preferred login method from the list or search for your institution, then follow the login process
- Checking "Remember this selection" will automatically log you into the site in the future if you are logged into that method at the time of login (e.g., if you are logged into Gmail and use Google as your login method, when you visit this screen in the future and choose Google once you've completed your first login it will automatically log you in)
- On the next screen, you can associate your existing account with your new login method, or new users can create an account
- Please use the email address you have previously used to access the site in order to limit the possibility of a duplicate account. Note: Once you have associated your account with a new login method through CILogon on your first visit, you will not see this screen again unless you add a new login method.
- Press Submit to continue with account setup. The screen will refresh, and you will see a page with the message "Please check your email for a confirmation link." Check the email account that you provided for a verification email.
- You will be asked to click a link in the email to verify and associate your account.
- This link will take you back to the Knowledge Commons Profile page, where you will be asked to confirm your email one last time by clicking the Confirm My Email button. Upon clicking that button, your screen will refresh to your Commons Profile.
Registering for a New Account
This section of instructions is for new members registering their first account. If you are an existing member who needs to connect your account, please see the "Connecting an Account for Existing Members" section.
- Upon pressing the Register link in the upper right corner of the Commons organization you wish to join, you will be taken to a page titled Create Your Account that gives an overview of the steps to create your account. Press the green Register button to continue.
- You'll be taken to the CILogon screen for Knowledge Commons. Select the identity provider you prefer to use from the list and press Log On
- CILogon provides support for a large number of University logins, as well as major systems such as ORCID, Google and GitHub
- On the next page enter the email address you wish to associate with your account and press submit. This is typically the email address for the authentication method you chose.
- Once you have associated your account with a new login method through CILogon on your first visit, you will not see this screen again unless you add a new login method.
- You can add an additional email address to your account later if you wish.
- The page that will load next is the Registration Information page, where you will enter your desired username, full name, email address, and have the opportunity to join any of the Open Registration Commons organizations you wish to by checking the box next to those organizations. Finally, you'll need to check the box to accept the Terms and Conditions. Once you have filled out the form, press the green Register button to continue.
- You'll receive a notice to check your email for a confirmation link. Go to the email account you used in your setup and look for the email from knowledge-commons-profiles in your inbox.
- In the email you receive, click the link titled Click here to verify your email in the message.
- The email link will take you back to the Knowledge Commons Confirm Your Email page. Click the green button titled CONFIRM MY EMAIL to confirm your account. Once you press the button, the page should refresh to your Knowledge Commons Profile.
- You are now ready to use Knowledge Commons!
Add a New Login Method
If you’re logged in, you will need to log out completely. Click the login button on the homepage and follow the steps below:
- Pick a new identity provider from the CILogon list that you want to use and follow the login process
- On the next screen associate your existing account with your new login method using your email address on record
- Verify your email by clicking the link sent to you
- You should now see the new login method on the “Manage Login Methods and Email Addresses” screen under settings.
To remove an existing login method visit “Manage Login Methods and Email Addresses” in settings and click the delete button next to the one you wish to remove.
- Choose your preferred login method from the list or search for your institution, then follow the login process
- Checking "Remember this selection" will automatically log you into the site in the future if you are logged into that method at the time of login (e.g., if you are logged into Gmail and use Google as your login method, when you visit this screen in the future and choose Google once you've completed your first login it will automatically log you in)
- On the next screen you can associate your existing account with your new login method, or new users can create an account