What is ORCID?

ORCID stands for Open Researcher and Contributor ID. It is an international non-profit, open, interdisciplinary registry of unique identifiers  for researchers. It is designed to unambiguously distinguish your research activities and outputs from those with similar names by providing each registered researcher with an individual identification number.

More information about the ORCID organization can be found here.

What are the goals of ORCID?

ORCID aims to alleviate the long-standing problem of author and researcher name ambiguity by offering a searchable registry of unique identifiers. By linking your ORCID iD with your grants, publications, and other research outputs, you increase the discoverability of your work and allow your institution, funding organization, and publisher to keep complete and transparent records of your research activities. This aids these organizations in choosing peer reviewers, managing progress reports, and making funding decisions in the future.

Who can register for an ORCID iD?

Anyone in the world. Registering for an ORCID iD is free and requires only your name, an email address, and a password. Sign up here.

Does ORCID have a cost?

No. One of ORCID’s guiding principles is to provide identifiers free of charge.

What are ORCID’s privacy and data security policies?

ORCID takes privacy and data security very seriously. Data are stored on servers inaccessible via an internet connection. Only Record (account) holders and their assigned delegates can modify a profile. ORCID uses three privacy settings for all data recorded in your ORCID profile:

  1. Public: viewable by anyone.
  2. Limited Access: viewable by you, your delegates, and “trusted organizations” that you have given permission to share data with. By registering your ORCID iD with Duke, you are making Duke a trusted organization.
  3. Private: viewable by you and your delegates only.

Privacy settings for any element of your ORCID profile (except the iD itself, which is always public) can be changed at any time. Find ORCID’s full privacy policy here.

If you have any concerns about the accuracy of data in your ORCID Record, you can submit a Record Data Report to support@orcid.org.

Is ORCID interoperable with other author identity systems?

ORCID is designed to be interoperable with many other author identity systems such as Scopus’ Author ID or ResearcherID. In addition, publishers and funding organizations such as the NIH, NSF, and Wellcome Trust are using or planning to use ORCIDs in their records to facilitate grant application and manuscript submission processes.

How do I register my ORCID with Duke?

Register your ORCID through the Office of Information Technology Account Self-Service Portal. It will be included in your Duke Directory listing. If you do not yet have an ORCID, you can register for one through the Portal and authorize Duke to access your ORCID information. See the instructions for registering your ORCID with Duke.

 

Have a different question? Contact scholarworks@duke.edu.