Help

Step-by-step guidance for getting the most out of CABPortal. What to do, why it matters, and how things work behind the scenes.

Still stuck? Email cabect@tcnj.edu.

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1) Create an account & sign in

We verify you’re a real person and set up your profile so recommendations can work.

Sign up (why)

Creating an account lets CABPortal personalize recommendations and keep track of your activity (likes, bookmarks, applications).

Sign up (how)
  1. Click Sign Up in the top-right.
  2. Fill in your name, email, and password, then complete the reCAPTCHA.
  3. Submit. You will be brought to your profile page.
Tip: Use your institutional email when possible for faster verification.
Sign in & password help

Use your username and password on the Sign In page. If you forget your password, contact cabect@tcnj.edu.

2) Edit your profile

Your profile powers matching. High quality interests = better recommendations.

What to update (why)
  • Photo & bio: Helps collaborators recognize you.
  • Interests (comma-separated): These are matched with other users and project keywords.
How to edit
  1. Go to My Profile → Edit Profile.
  2. Update your info and save changes.
Pro tip: Use specific interests (e.g., “data visualization, public health informatics”) rather than broad ones (“CS”).

3) Find and apply to projects

Projects are where you’ll collaborate. Recommendations help you discover relevant work.

Browse & search
  • Open Projects. Search titles or descriptions.
  • Toggle Recommended to sort by best matches to your interests.
Apply (how)
  1. Open a project and click Apply.
  2. Your status becomes Pending until the owner accepts.
  3. If accepted, you’ll appear as a Participant.
Why it works: Your interests and the project’s keywords are embedded and compared; strong overlaps rise to the top.
Related projects

Project owners can propose relationships between projects. When both owners confirm, the link becomes visible to help others navigate the ecosystem.

4) Likes vs. Bookmarks

What’s the difference?
  • Like: Signal of interest or support, visible on the project.
  • Bookmark: Private save to revisit later from your profile.

Click the same button again to undo.

5) Faculty connections

How they work (why)

Connections create a lightweight network so you can discover collaborators and keep in touch.

How to connect
  1. Visit a faculty profile and click Connect to send a request.
  2. The other person can accept or decline.
  3. Manage incoming/outgoing requests from your profile.

6) Recommendations & novelty

How recommendations work

We convert your interests and others’ keywords into vectors with a local language model. We compare them for overlap (foundation) and coverage (novelty). Scores balance both so you see relevant and fresh ideas.

Novelty slider
  • Lower novelty: Prioritizes strong overlap—safe bets.
  • Higher novelty: Surfaces more diverse matches—discoveries.
Tip: Try a mid-range novelty first; bump it up when you want to expand your horizons.

Troubleshooting

  • Can’t sign in: check username/password and caps lock.
  • No recommendations: add more interests to your profile.
  • Images not uploading: use JPG/PNG and stay under size limits.
  • Errors persist: clear browser cache or try another browser.
If nothing helps, email cabect@tcnj.edu with a screenshot and steps to reproduce.

Contact

Email cabect@tcnj.edu for support.