Document Best Practices

Managing documents is important for making your site easy to search, for making internal documents easy to find and link to and for general website maintenance.

On this Page:

Is a PDF the Right Format?

Before uploading a document you should ask yourself if a document is the best format for sharing this information.

You may instead consider adding the content to an existing webpage, to a new webpage or shared in some other way.

When to Avoid PDF Content

In general, the TU website is the best option for content because it is:

  • accessible, responsive (able to resize for mobile devices)
  • easier to update and find in search engines
  • easier to track user engagement
  • easier to provide multimedia, interactive elements 
  • easier to share on social media

When to Opt for a PDF

PDFs can be useful when:

  • content is primarily for printing
  • there is complex formatting, such as charts and forms

If you do need to share your content in a document format, the following information will help you provide the best experience for your site visitors.

Uploading and Linking to Documents

There are several best practices when it comes to providing access to documents.

  • Always upload and publish a document before linking to it. Do not directly link from SharePoint or another online database.
  • Always link to the official version of a document — do not upload a separate version of another office’s document to your site section.
  • When uploading documents, always upload them to the “documents folder” so that your documents are in one place and you can ensure duplicates are not uploaded.
  • When linking to documents in the content management system, all documents must be set to “open in a new window.”
  • When linking to a document, you will automatically be directed to staging. You want to make sure that you switch to production through the drop-down in the top right corner so that you have access to the full library of images/documents available.

Uploading a Document to Staging vs. Production

The website is set on a dual server — a staging area and a production area. Staging is what you have access to edit. Production is what you have access to link to but not edit.  

When you upload a document, it will upload to staging. You need to publish it in order to have it show up in production. You will want to submit it for approval or publish so that you can link to it. 

Uploading a Document Step-by-Step

There are multiple ways to upload a document to the website, but this is our recommendation. It’s what we do and what we find the easiest. 

Copyright symbol on the Towson.edu website

1. Navigate to your homepage and log in to the CMS 

Once you are on your homepage, click the © and log in using your Towson NetID.  

Screenshot of the content section of Modern Campus CMS

2. Go to the “pages” section of your website 

On the top bar, find “content.” Click the drop-down. From there, select “pages.” 

Screenshot of the documents folder in Modern Campus CMS

3. Click on your “documents folder” 

In your pages section, you will have a documents folder. Open that up. 

Screenshot of the upload box for Modern Campus CMS

4. Upload your document 

Click “upload” in the top right corner. Select add or drag and drop your file. Select the overwrite option if you are overwriting the document. Click “start upload.” Remember that documents cannot have capital letters and must be spaced out by – (dashes) in order to upload them. 

Screenshotof a document saved in Modern Campus CMS

5. Publish your document 

Once uploaded, check the box next to your document(s). Then click “publish.” You are now able to link your document. 

Naming Documents

Always use a generic file name to correctly name your documents.

For example, instead of “summerrequestform-revision11-approved092828.pdf,” name the file something that is understandable and short, such as “summer-request-form.pdf.”

File names must be lowercase, contain no spaces or special characters and use a hyphen between words.

Deleting Documents

It is important to remove old and unused documents from the website. Even after removing document links, documents can continue to be found in search results.

To have a document removed from the CMS, submit a service request. Follow these instructions in the request:

  1. Select "Open a Ticket"
  2. Select "Web Content & Publishing"
  3. Select "University Website & Modern Campus CMS"
  4. Select "Open a Ticket"
  5. Enter the name of the document and the file path where it is located

Overwriting Documents

Instead of uploading a completely new file when a document is changed, you should overwrite the existing document.

Overwriting documents ensures:

  • links to the document remain intact
  • existing search engine results will continue to function
  • you can avoid deleting old versions of a document from the server. This is another reason to use a generic file name when uploading documents.

For instructions on how to overwrite documents see Overwriting an Existing Document (PDF).