As the world of academia and research continues to evolve, it’s becoming increasingly important for scholars and professionals to have a unique identifier that can help distinguish them from others in their field. That’s where ORCID comes in – a non-profit organization that provides researchers with a digital identifier to help them track their scholarly activities, build their professional network, and enhance their visibility within the academic community.
In this blog post, we’ll explore why ORCID is essential for researchers and academicians, and how it can benefit your career in the long run. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or just starting out, read on to discover why ORCID should be an essential tool in your academic toolkit.
Introduction
Researchers and academicians need ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) because it gives them a distinctive, permanent digital identity. They may be distinguished from other researchers with the same name by using this identification, which can also be used to connect to their professional endeavors and affiliations.
In order to ensure that a scholar’s contributions are appropriately documented and ascribed, ORCID IDs can also be integrated into research activities like paper submission and funding applications. This increases the research’s discoverability and impact and makes it more likely that their contributions will be acknowledged and valued. The following section describes the key benefits of having an ORCID number for a researcher.
Key Benefits of ORCID
Orcid gives Unique identification to Researcher
Each researcher has his own personal ORCID ID number, which will remain the same whether they change their name or work at a different institution. This makes it simple for other researchers, journals, and funding organizations to recognize and follow a specific researcher’s work, even if they have changed their name or have moved to a different institution.
In disciplines like science and technology where there may be numerous researchers with similar names and it may be challenging to distinguish one from another, having a unique and persistent identity is very crucial. By offering a dependable and consistent method of identifying researchers and their work, ORCID IDs contribute to the solution of this issue.
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Orcid helps Researchers to Link their Professional Activities
This means that a researcher can create a thorough and current representation of their research output by using their ORCID ID to link their publications, grants, and other professional activities to their ORCID record.
For instance, a researcher can link their articles in several databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, etc., using their ORCID ID. As a result, articles by a researcher are simple for other scholars, publishers, and funding organizations to find and follow, even if they are dispersed over several databases or platforms.
Additionally, ORCID IDs can be used to link a researcher’s professional affiliations and positions, such as their current institution, department, and research group. This makes it easy for others to identify a researcher’s current position and contact information, and to find other researchers working in similar areas.
Overall, linking a researcher’s professional activities and affiliations to their ORCID record allows others to easily discover and track their contributions, making it more likely that their research will be read, cited, and used.
Orcid helps Researcher to Improving Research Impact
ORCID IDs make it simple for others to locate a researcher’s most recent and pertinent study by connecting that researcher’s publications, grants, and other professional activities to their ORCID record. By doing this, a researcher may have a greater possibility of having their work read, cited, and used by other researchers, which may enhance the impact and visibility of their work.
Additionally, by connecting ORCID with additional platforms including bibliographic databases, funding organizations, and research networks, it increases the research’s discoverability and visibility to a wider audience. By increasing the likelihood that the researcher’s work will be read, cited, and used by other researchers, the influence and visibility of their research may also rise as a result.
Overall, ORCID can serve to improve the discoverability and impact of a researcher’s research, which can result in more recognition and benefits for the researcher by assisting with the proper tracking and attribution of their efforts.
Recognition and Rewards
ORCID makes it simple for others to identify and attribute a researcher’s work, even if they have changed their name or gone to a different university, by offering a distinctive and durable identity for each researcher. This guarantees that a researcher’s contributions are appropriately tracked and credited, which may result in the researcher receiving more recognition and incentives.
For instance, when a researcher’s work is correctly ascribed to them, there is a higher probability that other researchers will read, quote, and use their work. This may result in an increase in citations and a higher h-index, two metrics frequently used to assess the influence and productivity of researchers. A researcher’s chances of being requested to speak at conferences asked to serve on committees and given consideration for funding and awards rise when their work is correctly cited.
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Additionally, ORCID supports the academic and research ecosystem by assisting funding bodies, publishers, and other organizations in accurately attributing grants, papers, and other work to the right researchers, ensuring that the research is credited to the right person, and preventing errors in the attribution. This makes it easier to make sure that the right person is given proper credit for the research and that the researcher is acknowledged and paid for their efforts.
Generally speaking, ORCID IDs can help to ensure that a researcher’s contributions are appropriately documented and attributed, which can lead to additional opportunities for the researcher and more publicity for their study.
Integration with Workflows
ORCID IDs can be linked to a variety of research procedures, including the submission of manuscripts and funding requests, simplifying the procedure, and removing errors.
As an illustration, many publishers and scholarly publications now demand that authors include their ORCID when during submissions. This gives the publisher the ability to connect the manuscript to the author’s ORCID record, guaranteeing that the work is appropriately credited to the right author and tracked as the author’s contributions.
Additionally, while applying for grants, certain funding organizations now want researchers to include their ORCID. In doing so, the organization is able to connect the grant application to the researcher’s ORCID profile, guaranteeing that the funding is given to the right individual and that the researcher’s contributions are correctly monitored.
The submission of articles and funding applications is streamlined by incorporating ORCID IDs into these workflows, and mistakes in the attribution of the study are also removed. This makes it easier to verify who should be given credit for the research and how the researcher’s contributions should be tracked.
Additionally, ORCID IDs can be integrated with institutional systems like CRIS (Current Research Information Systems) and research information management systems, making it possible to accurately track and report a researcher’s professional activities and affiliations to funders, publishers, and other organizations.
Even if authors change their name, their ORCID ID will remain the same and their publications can still be easily linked and attributed to them. In addition, because ORCID is widely adopted by publishers, funding agencies, and other research organizations, it can help ensure that authors are correctly credited for their work across multiple platforms and contexts. I have written a blog article on How to Change Author Name on a Previously Published Research Paper?. This will help you to understand the intricacies involved in changing the name of the author on a research paper.
Overall, integrating ORCID into various research workflows helps to streamline the process of submitting manuscripts, grant applications, and other research-related activities, and ensures that the research is properly credited to the correct person, improving the overall research ecosystem.
Registration Requirement of ORCID
To register for an ORCID iD, you will need the following:
- A valid email address: You will need to provide a valid email address when registering for an ORCID ID. This email address will be used to confirm your registration and to send you important information about your ORCID ID.
- Personal information: You will need to provide some basic personal information when registering for an ORCID ID, such as your name, country of residence, and your research field or discipline.
- Profile information: You will also have the option to provide additional information about yourself and your research interests, such as your research activities, affiliations, and publications. This information will be used to create your ORCID public profile, which can be used to share your research with others.
- Privacy settings: ORCID offers different levels of privacy settings and it is important to take time to read and understand them before registering so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs.
- Agreement to the ORCID Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Before registering, you will need to agree to the ORCID Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which outline the terms and conditions of using the ORCID service.
It’s important to note that ORCID is a free service, and you can register and update your ORCID record at any time. Once you have an ORCID, you can use it to connect and share your research activities and affiliations with the global research community.
Whether Publications are Automatically Added to ORCID?
Once you register for an ORCID ID, your publications will not be automatically added to your ORCID record. Instead, you will need to manually add your publications to your ORCID record.
There are several ways to add your publications to your ORCID record:
- Manually entering information: You can manually enter the information about your publications, such as the title, authors, publication date, and DOI, into your ORCID record.
- Importing from other systems: You can import your publications from other systems, such as Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, by connecting your ORCID record to those systems.
- Bulk upload: You can use the ORCID API to upload multiple publications at once, which can be useful if you have a lot of publications to add.
- Claiming your works: You can also search and claim your works in the ORCID record if others already add them, such as publishers or other researchers, to your ORCID record, and verify them.
It’s important to keep in mind that it is your responsibility to ensure that your ORCID record is up-to-date and accurate and that your publications are properly attributed to you.
Updating your ORCID record regularly can help to ensure that your contributions are accurately tracked and attributed, which can lead to more recognition and rewards for your research.
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Who Owns ORCID?
ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a non-profit organization that conducts business as a separate legal company. It was established by a collection of businesses and individuals who joined together to develop a special, long-lasting digital identity for researchers.
The Board of Directors, which oversees the management of ORCID’s operations and sets the organization’s strategic direction, is in charge of running ORCID. The members of ORCID, which are businesses and people that support the organization’s goals, elect the board of directors.
A network of businesses and individuals who support ORCID by making contributions to its creation and upkeep. This comprises entities that are dedicated to enhancing the openness and effectiveness of the research ecosystem, such as funding agencies, publishers, research institutes, and others.
Can I Change My ORCID Number?
No, once you’ve been given an ORCID, you cannot modify it. It is crucial that ORCID numbers stay the same since they serve as researchers’ distinctive and long-lasting digital identifiers. This allows research activities to be precisely connected to the right person.
But if you entered your information incorrectly or need to edit it, such as your name or email address, you can do so by going into your ORCID account and making the appropriate adjustments. As your ORCID record will be used to link you with your research activities and affiliations, it is crucial to maintain it current.
Conclusion
Finally, ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a distinctive and long-lasting digital identity for researchers that enhances the openness and effectiveness of the research ecosystem. For researchers, ORCID iDs are crucial because they make sure that their research activities are accurately connected to the right person and can give a fuller picture of their research contributions. Researchers can gain from enhanced collaboration and networking opportunities, as well as increased visibility, acknowledgment, and rewards for their research, by signing up for an ORCID iD.
Researchers can amend their personal information and publications in their ORCID records, however, ORCID iDs cannot be changed. All researchers are should sign up for an ORCID iD because ORCID is so important to the research environment.
