by Shashikant Nishant Sharma

ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a unique identifier that helps researchers and scholars distinguish their academic contributions and establish a permanent, unambiguous connection between their identity and their work. It is widely used in academic publishing, grant applications, and collaborative research.

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for creating an ORCID ID and explains how scholars can use it effectively.

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Part 1: ORCID ID Creation

Step-by-Step Process to Create an ORCID ID

1. Visit the ORCID Website
   • Go to the official ORCID website: https://orcid.org
2. Start the Registration Process
   • Click on the “Register” button, usually located at the top right corner of the homepage.
3. Fill in the Registration Form
   • First Name and Last Name: Enter your full name as it appears in your academic publications.
   • Email Address: Provide an active email address. You will need this to confirm your account and receive notifications.
   • Password: Create a strong password (at least 8 characters with a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters).
4. Select Notification Preferences
   • You will be asked to choose how frequently you want to receive updates from ORCID. Options range from monthly updates to no emails at all.
5. Agree to Terms and Conditions
   • Review and agree to the ORCID Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This outlines how your data will be used and protected.
6. Click on “Register”
   • Once the form is completed, click on “Register” to submit your details.
7. Email Confirmation
   • Check your inbox for a confirmation email from ORCID. Follow the instructions to verify your email address.
8. Complete Your Profile
   • After email verification, log in to ORCID and start completing your profile by adding biographical information, education, employment history, funding, and publications.

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Part 2: Key Features of an ORCID Profile

Once your ORCID ID is created, you should complete your profile to maximize its usefulness:

1. Biography:
   Include a brief description of your academic background, current position, and research interests. Keep it concise yet informative.
2. Education:
   Add details of your educational qualifications, including the institution name, degree, and years attended.
3. Employment:
   Provide details of your academic and professional affiliations. This can include both current and past employment at universities, research institutes, or companies.
4. Publications:
   Use ORCID’s “Search and Link” wizard to automatically add your published works from databases like Scopus, CrossRef, or PubMed. You can also manually add publications, including journal articles, conference papers, and books.
5. Funding:
   Record any grants or funding you have received for your research. Many funding bodies now require an ORCID ID when applying for grants.
6. Other Identifiers:
   You can link your ORCID ID with other researcher IDs such as Scopus Author ID, ResearcherID, or Google Scholar Profile.

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Part 3: Uses and Benefits of ORCID for Scholars

An ORCID ID offers multiple benefits for scholars, enhancing visibility, improving discoverability, and ensuring proper attribution of research outputs.

1. Unique Identification

• Distinguish Yourself: ORCID provides a unique identifier that distinguishes you from other researchers with similar names, ensuring your work is always correctly attributed to you.
• Persistent Record: ORCID maintains a persistent and lifelong record of your scholarly activities, even if you change institutions or fields.

2. Integration with Research Platforms

• Academic Journals: Many journals and publishers require authors to provide an ORCID ID when submitting manuscripts, ensuring that the research is correctly attributed to the right author.
• Grant Applications: Funding agencies like the NIH, NSF, and the European Commission require ORCID IDs for grant applications, making it easier for scholars to track and claim funding.
• Universities and Institutions: ORCID is integrated with many institutional repositories, helping to automatically update your profile with institutional affiliations, publications, and other academic activities.

3. Enhance Research Visibility

• Discoverability: ORCID links your profile with major databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and CrossRef, making it easier for other researchers, institutions, and collaborators to find your work.
• ORCID iD in Emails and CVs: You can include your ORCID iD in your email signature, on your CV, or on personal and professional websites to further promote your academic identity.

4. Connect Your Research Outputs

• Centralized Profile: ORCID acts as a central hub for managing and displaying all of your academic outputs, including journal articles, books, datasets, peer reviews, and more.
• Automatic Updates: Many publishers and research databases can automatically push new research outputs to your ORCID profile, saving you time and ensuring accuracy.

5. Collaborate and Network

• Global Networking: ORCID helps connect you with collaborators worldwide. Institutions and other researchers can search for your ORCID ID to learn about your expertise and research output.
• Co-Authorship Tracking: ORCID makes it easy to identify co-authors and collaborators on joint projects, enhancing your academic network.

6. Maintain Ownership of Your Data

• Privacy Control: You control the visibility of your information. You can set specific sections of your ORCID profile (e.g., personal data, publications) to be publicly visible, private, or shared only with trusted organizations.
• Data Portability: Your ORCID ID and associated data stay with you, regardless of your institutional affiliation or geographic location.

7. Compliance with Institutional Requirements

• Many universities and research institutions now require researchers to have an ORCID ID. Having one makes it easier to comply with these requirements, particularly for research assessment exercises and reporting purposes.

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Part 4: Best Practices for ORCID ID Use

• Keep Your Profile Updated: Regularly update your profile with new publications, grants, or employment changes.
• Use Your ORCID ID Consistently: Include your ORCID ID in all your academic activities, such as manuscript submissions, conference presentations, and grant applications.
• Share Your ORCID ID: Add your ORCID ID to your CV, personal website, social media profiles, and email signature.
• Sync with Other Profiles: Link your ORCID ID to other academic profiles like Google Scholar, ResearchGate, or institutional databases to keep them in sync.

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Final words

Creating and using an ORCID ID is an essential step for scholars in today’s academic environment. It enhances your professional visibility, ensures proper attribution of your work, and simplifies the management of your scholarly output. By following this guide, you can make the most of ORCID’s features and strengthen your academic identity in the global research community.

References

Cress, P. E. (2019). Why do academic authors need an ORCID ID?. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 39(6), 696-697.

Haak, L. L., Fenner, M., Paglione, L., Pentz, E., & Ratner, H. (2012). ORCID: a system to uniquely identify researchers. Learned publishing, 25(4), 259-264.

Sprague, E. R. (2017). Orcid. Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA, 105(2), 207.

Sharma, S. N. Unveiling the Top Secret Skills to Thrive in the Modern Age.