Managing Your Author Identity: ORCID

Pros

• Removes author name ambiguity: authors with common names can now distinguish their works from others with the same name
• Contributes to the reliable attribution of authorship
• The ORCID ID can be linked with other Author Identity platforms, i.e. Scopus, ResearcherID, etc.
• The ORCID ID is being requested by publishers in the Life & Biomedical Sciences (i.e. Nature, Science, Elsevier Publishing Springer, etc.)
• The ORCID ID is now being included in Medline
• It is not limited by discipline (any field of research may take part)
• It is free for individuals

Cons

• Some find it difficult to obtain all their publications for linking with the ORCID ID system; the researcher has the option of adding them manually, by either providing the link to where it is hosted online or to use the ISSN number or DOI. Not everything is online, yet.
• Authors may 'accidentally' claim works that are not their own
• The interface is not that user-friendly
• ORCID is fee-based for institutions
• Still in the development/refinement stages

ORCID is an author identification registry resource that helps to eliminate any ambiguity regarding common author names. It allows any eligible researchers to register and receive a unique ID, manage their account, and search for others in the ORCID Registry.

Organizations may also become members. An organizational membership allows the organization to link their records to ORCID identifiers, update ORCID records, receive updates, and to register their employees and students for ORCID IDs as well.

ORCID helps to distinguish between authors with common names and helps those authors ensure they are receiving the appropriate acknowledgement of their works.

ORCID IDs can be cross-linked with both the ResearcherID and SCOPUS identifier and, as of January 2014, Medline  includes Author NameID (AI) as a field that will include ORCID ID numbers.

ORCID stands for: Open Researcher & Contributor ID

Anyone involved in any type of research is eligible to obtain an ORCID ID.

To register for an ORCID ID, click here:  https://orcid.org/register. Registering for an account takes only 30 seconds!

Once you have created your ORCID ID, you can sign in here:  https://orcid.org/signin

You can enrich your registration by adding your professional details. Details to consider adding are those that would be publicly available from your publications, such as your institutional address, contact information, and areas of research interest. You can also add linking to other identifying agencies, such as ResearcherID and SCOPUS.

Include your ORCID ID in any web pages, blogs, grant applications, etc. to ensure that your work is recognized as your own and that you receive appropriate credit for it!

It is possible to delegate access to your ORCID account to another person or persons. If there is a person you trust with your ORCID account, you can assign them as a "Trusted Individual" and they will be able to edit and/or update your data, and grant permissions to other services to read, write to, or access your ORCID data. They will not be able to change your password or grant "Trusted" status to others.

To make someone a trusted individual:

1. Sign in to orcid.org
2. On the account settings page, scroll down to the "Trusted individuals" section
3. Add one or more people to your trusted individual list by typing their ORCID iD, email address, or name into the box provided, and clicking the "Search" button.  Please note: All trusted individuals must have an ORCID account.

For more information on delegating trusted individuals, please see the Knowledge Base.