What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small file downloaded on to your phone, tablet or computer when you visit a website. Cookies allow websites to recognise your device when you make a return visit.
We use several types of cookies on the EDINA website. Some are essential, like cookies that make sure our website works properly with your browser. They always need to be on.
Some cookies you can opt out of or block completely. Opting out or blocking these cookies might affect how the website looks or works for you.
When you leave our website or click on links that take you to an external websites, we can’t control what cookies they set. They will have their own cookie policy and you will need to set your cookie preferences for those websites too.
Why and how we use cookies
There are four reasons why a cookie might be stored on your device when visiting www.edina.ac.uk:
- Cookies that make the website work properly for you and enable you to make use of the secure online services that we provide;
- Cookies that collect data about your use of the website which is then anonymised and used to help us improve our online services
- Cookies that remember your preferences and make the site easier for you to use
- Cookies that are placed by third party services we make use of to enhance the information we present online. We have no control over these third party cookies.
These cookies are placed on your device either by EDINA or by the third parties whose services we use as part of the website.
Some cookies are retained in your browser for only as long as you visit our website, while others persist for a longer specified or unspecified period.
Strictly necessary cookies
Some cookies we place on your browser ensure that EDINA services and sites delivers you information and services securely and optimally. You must accept these cookies to be able to make use of our online systems.
Functionality cookies
Some cookies enable websites to remember choices their users make, for example, user name, language or text size. These cookies are known as “functionality cookies” and help to improve a user’s experience of a website by providing a more personalised service.
Performance cookies
We use a number of tools that monitor visitor behaviour on our website to help us improve our information and services.
The tool we use most consistently is Google Analytics. Anonymous data about your visit is collected and amalgamated with that of other visitors so we can better understand how people use our website.
You can opt out of providing us with this information if you wish, with no impact on your experience of our website.
Opt out of providing us with website usage data via Google Analytics
Third party cookies
Some EDINA services and sites use third party services or software, such as maps, online videos or social networking features. Many of these services may set cookies on your device.
However, you can block or remove cookies yourself by altering the settings of your browser. Blocking these cookies is unlikely to impact on your experience of our website.
How to block cookies
Most browsers allow some control of cookies through browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites, visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Cookies set across www.edina.ac.uk
Strictly necessary cookies
Some cookies we place on your browser ensure that EDINA Services and Sites deliver you information and services securely and optimally. You must accept these cookies to be able to make use of our online systems.
| Cookie | Cookie name(s) | Data stored | When does it expire? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Session ID | JSESSIONID, PHPSESSIONID, ASPSESSIONID, etc | A random unique number or string of letters and numbers. | A session cookie is required to follow your progress through the Services and Sites. It is essential to ensure that any information you enter or routes you take are remembered by the Services and Sites. Without this cookie, every page you visited would treat you as a completely new visitor.
This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
|
| Load balancer | NSC_ | A random unique number or string of letters and numbers. | The cookie is deleted when you close your web browser. | EDINA uses more than one server to provide web pages. When you visit the Services and Sites, you are assigned to one of several servers. This cookie is required to track which server you are communicating with in order to present a consistent user experience and remember information about the data you have entered.
This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
| My EDINA Account | edina_selfreg_session | string | 2 hours | Used to maintain the user’s session in the Self Registration system, enable access for individual subscribers. |
| My EDINA Account | edinacookiecheck | number | End of session | Used to test that the user has working cookies. |
Performance cookies
We use a number of tools that monitor visitor behaviour on EDINA’s Services and Sites to help us improve our performance in provision of information and services. These cookies collect anonymous information on the pages visited.
| Cookie | Cookie name(s) | Data stored | When does it expire? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | __utma | A unique identifier that represents your browser, the date of your first visit to the website, the date of your two most recent visits to the website, and the total number of times you’ve visited the website in the past including today. | This cookie expires 2 years after your last visit to the website. | Google Analytics is a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”), to help us see how our website is used. In doing so information about your use of our website, including your IP address, may be transmitted to Google and stored on servers in the United States
The information stored in this cookie is used to identify how frequently the same people revisit the EDINA website, and to detect how long people take between each visit. This information is combined with data from thousands of other users to create an overall picture of website use, and is never identified individually. This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
| Google Analytics | __utmb, __utmc | __utmb stores the exact time you started your current website visit,
__utmc stores the last time you interacted with the website |
__utmb is deleted when you close your browser window
__utmc is deleted 30 minutes after your last visit to the EDINA website. |
These cookies are used to detect how long users have spent on the website on this particular visit. This information is combined with data from thousands of other users to create an overall picture of website use, and is never identified individually.
This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
| Google Analytics | __utmv, __utmz | A unique identifier that represents your browser and information about the web pages or marketing materials that led you to the EDINA website. | __utmv is deleted 30 minutes after your last visit
__utmz is deleted 6 months after your last visit to the EDINA website. |
These cookies are used to detect which traffic sources are driving visits to the EDINA website. Traffic sources can include printed or online marketing materials, or simply other websites.
This information is combined with data from thousands of other users to create an overall picture of website use, and is never identified individually. This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
| Cookie to identify returning visitors | Is_returning | The number 1 and no more detail. | This cookie expires 5 years after your last visit to the EDINA Website. | This cookie is used on some pages to identify people who have returned to the EDINA website after visiting before. When you visit some pages on the website, this cookie may be set.
It stores only one piece of information – the fact that you’ve visited the website before. This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
Third party cookies
Some of EDINA’s Services and Sites use third party services or software, such as maps, online videos or social networking features. Many of these services may set cookies in your browser in accordance with their own privacy policies, although many can be blocked by you without impact on your experience. EDINA has no control over these cookies.
| Cookie | Cookie name(s) | Data stored | When does it expire? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | SID, SAPISID, APISID, SSID, HSID, NID, PREF | Various unique identifiers, except for PREF which stores your options such as preferred zoom level. | Most of the cookies expire 10 years after your last visit to a page containing a Google Map.
The PREF cookie expires 18 months after your last visit to a page containing a Google Map. |
Google set a number of cookies on any page that includes a Google Map. While we have no control over the cookies set by Google, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of Google Maps users.
The PREF cookie appears to store information about your preferences regarding the Google Maps service. In doing so information about your use of our website, including your IP address, may be transmitted to Google and stored on servers in the United States |
| YouTube | SID, LOGIN_INFO, use_hotbox, PREF, SSID, HSID, watched_video_id_list, __utma, __utmz, demographics, VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | Various unique identifiers, as well as login information that may relate to a Google account. | Most of the cookies expire 10 years after your last visit to a page containing a YouTube video, although some expire sooner. | Google set a number of cookies on any page that includes a YouTube video. While we have no control over the cookies set by Google, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of YouTube users, including information that links your visits to our website with your Google account if you are signed in to one.
In doing so, information about your use of our website, including your IP address, may be transmitted to Google and stored on servers in the United States This cookie does not identify you personally unless you are logged into Google, in which case it is linked to your Google account. |
| SlideShare | __utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmv, __utmz, SERVERID, UID, UIDR, mc | Unique numbers that identify your browser and interaction history, and a unique ID that identifies our service. | SERVERID and __utmc expire when you close your browser. __utmb expires in 30 minutes. __utmz expires in 6 months. mc expires in 5 years, and the rest expire 2 years after your last visit to a page that contains a SlideShare slideshow. | SlideShare set a number of cookies on any page that includes a SlideShare comment box. While we have no control over the cookies set by SlideShare, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of SlideShare users, including information that links your visits to our website with your Facebook or SlideShare account if you are signed in to one.
This cookie does not identify you personally unless you are logged into SlideShare, in which case it is linked to your SlideShare and/or Facebook account. The mc cookie set by Quantserve appears to be related to advertising, and may track your behaviour on our website. Opt out of Quantserve/Quantcast tracking The UID and UIDR cookies set by Scorecard Research appear to be related to market research, and may track your behaviour on our website. |
| Issuu | mc | Unique numbers that identify your browser and interaction history. | mc expires in 5 years after your last visit to a page that contains an Issuu document. | Issuu set a number of cookies on any page that includes a Issuu comment box. While we have no control over the cookies set by Issuu, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of Issuu users, including information that links your visits to our website with your Facebook or Issuu account if you are signed in to one.
This cookie does not identify you personally unless you are logged into Issuu, in which case it is linked to your Issuu and/or Facebook account. The mc cookie set by Quantserve appears to be related to advertising, and may track your behaviour on our website. |
| Google Analytics | __utma | A unique identifier that represents your browser, the date of your first visit to the website, the date of your two most recent visits to the website, and the total number of times you’ve visited the website in the past including today. | This cookie expires 2 years after your last visit to the website. | Google Analytics is a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”), to help us see how our website is used. In doing so information about your use of our website, including your IP address, may be transmitted to Google and stored on servers in the United States
The information stored in this cookie is used to identify how frequently the same people revisit the EDINA website, and to detect how long people take between each visit. This information is combined with data from thousands of other users to create an overall picture of website use, and is never identified individually. This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
| Google Analytics | __utmb, __utmc | __utmb stores the exact time you started your current website visit,
__utmc stores the last time you interacted with the website |
__utmb is deleted when you close your browser window
__utmc is deleted 30 minutes after your last visit to the EDINA website. |
These cookies are used to detect how long users have spent on the website on this particular visit. This information is combined with data from thousands of other users to create an overall picture of website use, and is never identified individually.
This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
| Google Analytics | __utmv, __utmz | A unique identifier that represents your browser and information about the web pages or marketing materials that led you to the EDINA website. | __utmv is deleted 30 minutes after your last visit
__utmz is deleted 6 months after your last visit to the EDINA website. |
These cookies are used to detect which traffic sources are driving visits to the EDINA website. Traffic sources can include printed or online marketing materials, or simply other websites.
This information is combined with data from thousands of other users to create an overall picture of website use, and is never identified individually. This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
| Cookie to identify returning visitors | Is_returning | The number 1 and no more detail. | This cookie expires 5 years after your last visit to the EDINA Website. | This cookie is used on some pages to identify people who have returned to the EDINA website after visiting before. When you visit some pages on the website, this cookie may be set.
It stores only one piece of information – the fact that you’ve visited the website before. This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
| AddThis.com | various | Variable | AddThis set a number of cookies when you visit any page that includes their social media sharing buttons, and also allow their partners to set cookies. These provide analytics information and allow them to provide online advertising targeting. For further information see http://www.addthis.com/privacy/privacy-policy#publisher-visitors. You can choose to opt out of providing information for online advertising targeting. |