Project Collaborators

Research is rarely a solo activity. AcaTrove lets you invite collaborators to your project, assign them specific roles, control what they can see and do, and track their availability so work can be planned realistically.

Adding Collaborators

1. Open your project and navigate to the Collaborators tab.
2. Click Add Collaborator.
3. Search for the person by name or email. If they already have a AcaTrove account, their profile will appear. If not, you can send an email invitation.
4. Select a role for the collaborator (see below).
5. Click Add.

The collaborator receives a notification and can immediately access the project according to their assigned role.

Add collaborator dialog with role selection

Roles

Each collaborator is assigned one of three roles that determine their default permissions:

• Owner -- Full control over the project. Owners can edit settings, manage collaborators, delete the project, and perform all task and document operations. The project creator is automatically an owner.
• Approver -- Can view all project content, complete and approve tasks, and comment on documents. Approvers cannot change project settings or manage collaborators.
• Worker -- Can view assigned tasks and linked documents, update task status, and add comments. Workers have the most limited access.

You can change a collaborator's role at any time from the Collaborators tab. Click the role badge next to their name and select a new role from the dropdown.

ABAC Permissions

For projects that require fine-grained access control beyond the three standard roles, AcaTrove supports Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC). ABAC policies evaluate user attributes -- such as department, clearance level, or institutional affiliation -- to determine what a collaborator can access.

ABAC is useful when:

• Sensitive data should only be visible to collaborators from a specific department.
• Compliance requirements restrict who can view certain documents or task details.
• Cross-institutional collaborations need attribute-based boundaries.

To configure ABAC policies for a project:

1. Go to the project's Settings tab.
2. Open the Access Control section.
3. Define rules based on user attributes (e.g., "Only users with department = 'Epidemiology' can view IRB documents").
4. Save.

ABAC policies are enforced automatically. Collaborators who do not meet the attribute criteria will not see the restricted content, even if their role would otherwise permit access.

Availability Scheduling

When planning project timelines, it helps to know when collaborators are available. AcaTrove lets each collaborator set their availability on a per-project basis.

• Setting availability -- Collaborators can indicate their weekly hours, sabbatical periods, or teaching-heavy weeks from their profile or from the project's Collaborators tab.
• Viewing availability -- Project owners and approvers can view a summary of all collaborators' availability to identify scheduling conflicts or plan task assignments around busy periods.

Availability information is advisory. AcaTrove does not block task assignment based on availability, but it does surface warnings when you assign a task to someone who has marked themselves as unavailable during the task's timeframe.

Collaborator list with roles and availability indicators

Removing Collaborators

To remove a collaborator, click the options menu next to their name in the Collaborators tab and select Remove. Their task assignments will remain but become unassigned. Any comments or contributions they made are preserved.

Tips

• Assign the fewest permissions necessary. Start collaborators as Workers and upgrade their role if they need broader access.
• Use ABAC when standard roles are not granular enough, particularly for compliance-sensitive projects.
• Ask collaborators to set their availability early so task planning reflects realistic timelines.