What is an ORCID and why do I need one?
Answer
What is an ORCID
ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) provides a unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals to use as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. ORCIDs are free to create and enable authoritative links to be created between you and your research activities (e.g. research outputs, funding data, employment history). Setting up your ORCID correctly will allow you to distinguish yourself from other researchers throughout your career.
When you create a new ORCID account there are two key components:
- A definitive record of your research activities which is available to other systems via the open ORCID registry
- A personal profile page which is available via a unique URL
The ultimate aim of ORCID is to create an open central registry of data that can eventually be used to improve the accuracy of other systems holding data about researchers, this includes academic social networking sites such as ResearchGate and Academia.edu. ORCID is a non-profit, community driven project, open to all researchers in any discipline and at any career stage; there is no commercial interest behind the ORCID project.
What are the benefits of ORCID?
For the individual:
- Claiming an ORCID makes it more likely that you are credited for your work. This is particularly true of researchers with very common names, or those who change their name during their career.
- Your ORCID account provides a single place to record all of your research works and grants.
- Having an ORCID makes it easier to report your work to funders, agencies and institutions.
- A growing number of publishers and funders are integrating ORCIDs into their systems (e.g., all PIs require an ORCID for grant applications to the Wellcome Trust)
For the University:
A comprehensive local store of staff ORCIDs enables the institution to:
- Improve grant submission processes
- Generate more accurate records of research activities
- Transfer research-related data between internal and external systems more efficiently and accurately
- Receive automatic updates when new research outputs are added to any staff member's ORCID account
How do I create an ORCID?
The most efficient and straightforward way to set up your ORCID is to use the option which is available within Pure to claim and link your own ORCID.
Linking your Pure and ORCID accounts ensures that when your research outputs are recorded in Pure, then these will automatically update your ORCID account too. By authorising the connection, Pure will also update your ORCID account with your employment affiliation, other personal identifiers (Scopus ID, Researcher ID), and your University research profile URL. Any updates in Pure will continue to automatically update your ORCID unless you revoke Pure permissions settings.
The following guide will take you through the necessary steps to create and/or manage your ORCID in Pure:
We also offer regular workshops focused around ORCID throughout the academic year as part of our My Research Essentials Training programme.
Further information and support
If you would like further information about ORCID, or assistance with setting up your account, please contact us