ORCID

What is an ORCID iD?

ORCID stands for Open Researcher and Contributor iD.

It is an international, non-profit, community-driven organisation that provides a unique persistent identifier (ORCID iD) to researchers and an associated ORCID record (or profile) connecting researchers to their affiliations and research contributions.

ORCID also maintains a central registry that stores ORCID iDs and their record of linked research activities.

ORCID iDs

• Are free and stay with researchers throughout their career
• Take the form of an https URI with a 16-digit number that is randomly assigned. For example: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-2345-6789

How does it relate to other research identifiers?

Many other researcher identifiers exist, to which ORCID iDs can be linked (e.g. Scopus Author ID, ResearcherID).

What sets ORCID apart? It gives researchers full ownership and control over their iD. Researchers register for their own ORCID iD (no-one else can assign one to them) and control their own ORCID record (deciding which information is linked to their iD, what is publicly visible, which third parties to share information with...).

ORCID does not try to be yet another platform where researchers need to manage a separate profile.

Its main aim is to provide an identifier

• For individuals to use with their name as they engage in research activities
• And through which information from different (publisher, funder, institutional, etc.) systems can be easily connected, collected and brought together

Benefits of using an ORCID iD

Unambiguous identification

Researchers might share the same (or a similar) name, change names (e.g. through marriage), be inconsistent in the use of first-name abbreviations, use different languages with different writing systems, have multiple affilitations or switch institutions...

Because it is unique and persistent, an ORCID iD always allows for unambigious identification of individuals.

Enhanced recognition, visibility and discoverability

Using an ORCID iD (e.g. on publications and other research outputs) helps to create reliable connections between individuals and their research activities, allowing them to claim credit for their work.

Such connections also increase discoverability of a researcher's work. Some discovery platforms allow searching by ORCID iD or using it to enhance search results.

An ORCID record can link all of a researcher's professional activities together. Allowing information in the record to be shared with other systems can also improve recognition and discoverability, and setting it to public visibility further raises the researcher's profile.

Save time

Researchers can use their ORCID iD and record to exchange information with other systems, for example to import data from a variety of data sources, to transfer data about their research activities to new institutions when changing affiliations, or to auto-populate manuscript submission or grant application forms.

In this way, information entered once can be reused often.

ORCID iD requirements

Because of their many benefits, ORCID iDs are integrated into the policies and workflows of a growing number of publishers, research funders and research institutions.

Having and using an ORCID iD is increasingly required in e.g. grant application, manuscript submission and peer review processes and systems.

Ghent University researchers

• Need an ORCID iD to apply for funding via the Special Research Fund (BOF) and Industrial Research Fund (IOF)
• Have to register for an ORCID iD, connect it to their Ghent University account, and mention it on their publications in line with the institutional policy on scholarly publishing

Support for ORCID iDs at Ghent University

Ghent University strongly favours the use of ORCID iDs and supports you in creating and using an ORCID iD.

Any questions about ORCID? Get in touch!

Ghent University is a member organisation of the ORCID consortium, enabling it to build ORCID integrations with institutional information systems:

• Via your ORCID account, you can grant permissions to Ghent University as a trusted organisation.
• When granted permission, university systems can interact with (i.e. read and add data to) your ORCID record.

Creating and connecting an ORCID iD

You can create an ORCID iD and link it to your Ghent University account via orcid.ugent.be.

Linking it will enable you to sign into your ORCID account using your UGent credentials and is also important for ORCID integration with university systems.

Exchanging information with Biblio

• Authorise Ghent University as a trusted organisation when creating and connecting an ORCID iD via orcid.ugent.be.
• Set visibility to 'everyone' or at least to 'trusted parties' to allow Biblio to read information in your ORCID record.

In this way, you can avoid having to re-enter the same information in multiple systems:

• Your Biblio profile page will display your ORCID iD and any 'Biography' information in your ORCID record.
• You can send research outputs registered in Biblio to your ORCID record from the 'My Publications' list.
• Biblio sends your ORCID iD to Ghent University's research information system GISMO.

GISMO and Research Explorer

• An ORCID iD created and linked via orcid.ugent.be is sent from Biblio to GISMO and shown in your personal profile in both GISMO and Research Explorer.
• An ORCID iD is mandatory if you apply for BOF or IOF funding as a (co-)promotor in GISMO. The application form will be pre-populated with your ORCID iD created and connected via orcid.ugent.be.
• GISMO sends researchers' ORCID iDs to the Flemish Research Information Space (FRIS), which in turn displays them on its portal and uses them to merge multiple profiles for the same individual (a situation that can occur when a researcher is affiliated to more than one institution).