Enforce (graduate) students, postdocs, and academic researchers to provide their academic email address

[Michael Scanlan]

(mainly posting this here so I can reference it later)

Students (both graduate and non-graduate categories), postdocs, and academic researchers should be asked to provide their academic email address before they submit their credential application.

This should improve a few things for the credential pipeline:

1. Reduces the amount of applicants who are rejected for not providing their academic email address (who are applying under the above categories). I do approve applications if they provide other sources (LinkedIn, ORCID, etc.), however, it is generally a reject if a personal email address is used.
2. Frees up the credential queue by ensuring the above categories provide the proper email address. (less reject applications, essentially)

We currently have a validator that exists already that can be used for this, the aim would be to add that validator to the credential form to enforce the requirement for those categories of applicants. It would check that the user's email address doesn't include one of the personal email addresses in the validator. Functionally, this will work exactly how the academic email requirement works for references, except we apply this to the user if they're applying for access under one of those listed categories.

One immediate issue that may need to be addressed is people not being able to apply and then switching their category to something else to allow them to submit an application (independent learner, most likely). We would likely need to vet these applications subjectively unless there's a way to check the person applying is in fact an independent learner.

[Tom Pollard]

Students (both graduate and non-graduate categories), postdocs, and academic researchers should be asked to provide their academic email address before they submit their credential application.

I like it, makes sense to me.

One immediate issue that may need to be addressed is people not being able to apply and then switching their category to something else to allow them to submit an application (independent learner, most likely).

I agree, seems likely. I think it's okay to treat this as a separate issue (and we can treat the applications more cautiously until it is addressed).