Cookies
How we use cookies
To help enhance your experience of using this site, we place small files known as cookies onto your computer. Some are essential for the site to work properly; others are to improve the experience that you have.
We use cookies to enhance your experience when you visit our site. The most important job of a cookie is to keep a user logged in as they browse from page to page.
You can disable the use of these cookies on your computer. Disabling them means that we will no longer be able to access them. If you want to disable the cookies, or any other cookie from another web site, see: how to manage cookies. Further information about how cookies, such as what they are and how to manage them, can be found at AboutCookies.org.
The list below shows each of the cookies we use on our site, together with details about why we use them and how long they will last.
Cookies to improve your experience
Measuring website usage (Google Analytics)
We use Google Analytics to collect information about how people use our site, and roughly which demographics are using our site. We do this to make sure the site is meeting user requirements and to understand ways in which it can be improved. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking directly with a browser plugin.
Google Analytics stores information about:
- the pages you visit
- how long you spend on each page
- how you got to the site
- what you click on while you’re on the site
The following cookies are set by Google Analytics:
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
| _ga | This helps us count how many people visit the site by tracking if you’ve visited before | 2 years |
| _utma | Like _ga, this lets us know if you’ve visited before, so we can count how many of our visitors are new to the site or to a certain page | 2 years |
| _utmb | This works with _utmc to calculate the average length of time you spend on the site | 30 minutes |
| _utmc | This works with _utmb to calculate when you close your browser | when you close your browser |
| _utmz | This tells us how you reached the site (like from another website or a search engine) | 6 months |
| _gat_gtag_UA_145799509_1 | This is used by Google Analytics to ensure its work doesn’t have a big impact on the site’s performance | 1 day |
Essential cookies
Website operation
The system that runs our website creates cookies which allow it to run smoothly.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
| ssess | Allow the page to provide you with content from jisc.ac.uk | 1 day to 2 weeks |
NB: Cookie guidance wording adapted from gov.uk, shared under the Open Government License.