Electronic signatures

As an employee, it is important that you contact your head of department or unit before you start using eduSign. You need to know which internal procedures for e-signatures apply at your department or equivalent. You also need to know how the document should be handled in accordance with the Records Management Plan.

Documents uploaded to eduSign must be in PDF/A or XML format. You must not convert the document once it has been signed. A more detailed guide to PDF/A and conversion can be found here: LU Support Centre - Home: Create PDF/A in an approved e-archive format

If you need to merge several documents into one, it is important that you do so before signing. For example, you must not sign a document and then later merge it with another. A signed document must not be altered.

If the person you are inviting has more than one email address linked to their Lucat account, it is important that you invite them using their primary email address. Only the primary email address can sign without creating an eduID. If you need to create an eduID, you will find information on how to do so in the section How do I create an eduID?

Generally speaking, we sign more documents than we actually need to. It is therefore a good idea to check whether your document actually requires a signature. Please note that even if a signature is removed, registration of documents or preservation in another system may still be required. Use the Records Management Plan to find out what applies to the document in question.

Access the Records Management Plan here Dokumenthateringsplanen | Klara Dialog
 

When you receive an electronically signed document from someone who is not employed by Lund University, you need to validate it to ensure that:

• That the document has not been altered since it was signed.
• Who has signed the document.
• That the electronic signature is reliable.

Validation must be carried out using eduSign’s validation service, which is linked to in the right-hand column on this page. 

If you have used a service other than eduSign and eduSign’s validation service is unable to validate the signature, you can use a different validator. It is important that you carry out a risk assessment of the service before using it. You can read more about this in the section Risk assessment when using other e-signature services
 

A completed, signed document that is to be retained must be registered immediately. If the document contains signatures from parties outside the university, it must be validated. Once validation is complete, you will be redirected to a new page showing your validation result. The page showing the result must be saved and registered under the same case as the signed document. By registering the document, you ensure that it remains reliable in the future. 

More detailed instructions on how to register a digitally signed document can be found here: E-underskrift i eduSign – lathund / E-signatures in eduSign – quick guide | Kompetensportalen

In cases where documents are only to be retained for a specific period before disposal, they should not be registered but organised systematically. The document must still be stored securely and together with the validation results, preferably in a folder on a shared server with restricted access.

See Lund Universitys Records Management Plan for more detailed guidance on the registration of documents and records management. Records Management Plan | Klara Dialog
 

You can use electronic signatures on forms, decisions, minutes and so on. The part of the organisation responsible for the process decides on the requirements for signing and the choice of signing method. 

If you collaborate with higher education institutions that have access to eduSign, you can use eduSign to sign documents. These may include, for example, decisions, minutes, agreements or contracts.

Organisations that do not use eduSign themselves can use the validation service to verify the authenticity of a document signed with eduSign. The validation service is open to everyone and does not require any login details.

Students and non-affiliated organisations cannot automatically sign documents in eduSign in the same way as staff at LU and other affiliated organisations can. In order for them to use eduSign, they need to create an eduID. To create an eduID, either FrejaID+ or BankID is required. 

An electronic signature is equivalent to a physical signature. The authority to sign on behalf of Lund University is granted through delegation and/or a mandate to take decisions. 

If you cannot see the document when you log in to eduSign, this may be for a number of different reasons.

1. You are a student – students can log in to eduSign but do not have the required Lucat level to use the programme without creating an eduID. To use eduSign, you need to create an eduID. Instructions on how to do this can be found in the section How do I create an eduID?
2. You have more than one email address linked to your Lucat account. Only your primary email address can use eduSign without creating an eduID.

Staff at Lund University who have a Lucat ID can use eduSign. Students and affiliated members who need to sign documents on a regular basis can create an eduID.

You can find a guide on how to create an eduID in the section How do I create an eduID?

We recommend that students and affiliated staff who only need to sign on a one-off basis use a physical signature on paper rather than eduSign. 
 

No, because an electronically signed document that has been printed out is no longer valid. 

No, everyone who is to sign must do so as part of the same process; you therefore cannot sign a document that already contains signatures from another system. If you do so, the certificate from the first signatures will be invalidated and the signatures can no longer be validated.

Yes. The person who initiated the process can invite more people to sign the same document; a maximum of twelve people can sign it. During the process, the initiator can also invite more people to sign. The process continues until the document contains all the necessary e-signatures. 

Please note that the same e-signature service must be used for a single document, regardless of how many people sign it.
 

No, each case is e-signed individually. This is because each case needs to be registered and archived separately. 

It is not possible to split an e-signed document consisting of several cases, as any changes to a finalised e-signed document will render the e-signature invalid.

When using Adobe Acrobat Reader to validate a signed document, a message may appear stating that the signature has not been verified and that the signer’s identity is unknown. 

You are seeing this message because Adobe does not automatically recognise eduSign signatures. To remove the error message, you will need to manually configure Adobe to recognise the signature as trustworthy. You can find a guide on how to do this here:  E-underskrift i eduSign – lathund / E-signatures in eduSign – quick guide | Kompetensportalen

You must validate your signed documents using eduSign’s validation service eduSign document validation | SUNET

To delete an invitation, do the following:

1. Click on 'Other options'.
2. Select 'Edit invitation'.
3. Go to the field for the person you want to delete and click on the small red tick in the top right-hand corner.

This service is for anyone who needs to sign documents in EduSign but does not have a Lucat ID: 

1. Create an account on the eduid.se website. You will receive an email in which you can verify your account.
2. Log in using your account at eduid.se  and complete your personal details under “settings”.
3. Link your identity to your EduID using a digital ID card (Freja+ or BankID). 
4. Log in to the EduSign service using your EduID and sign your documents. 

1. Log in to SUNET’s eduSign page: eduSign | SOUND
2. Enter eduID Sweden in the blue box, where it says "Find your organisation". You must not select Lund University.
3. You will now be redirected back to the eduID page for verification. 
4. Log in with your eduID and password. 
5. You will now be redirected back to SUNET’s eduSign page. 
6. Download the file/document to be signed, or invite several people to sign it. 
    

You receive an invitation to digitally sign a document.

Are you familiar with the matter and is the information in the document correct? YES

(If NO please see instructions further down on this page)

Are you familiar with the sender? YES

Are you familiar with the e-signature service? YES

Do you trust the e-signature service? 

If YES You can probably sign the document

If NO Consider whether there is an alternative way to sign the document

Are you familiar with the e-signature service? NO

Do you trust the sender's assessment of the security of the e-signature service?

If YES You can probably sign the document

If NO Consider whether there is an alternative way to sign the document

Are you familiar with the sender? NO

Check up on the sender

Are you familiar with the matter and is the information in the document correct? NO

Are you familiar with the sender? YES

Is there an established collaboration with the sender?

If YES Check whether the document may have been sent to the wrong recipient

If NO Do not sign the document

Are you familiar with the sender? NO

Do not sign the document

Text field beside the mind map:

Always ensure that you only sign documents which you recognise and understand. It is important that you check up on the sender and the e-signature service before you sign any documents. This mind map is only intended to be used as a guide to help you decide. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to judge whether you can sign the document or not.