What is an ORCID iD?

An ORCID iD is a permanent 16-digit numeric identification number. Rather than relying on surnames, this number unmistakably distinguishes you from other researchers [1].

What are the benefits?

1. You’ll get credit for all your publications – Throughout your career, you may change your name (e.g. take your spouse’s name), change organisations, countries, or fields. An ORCID iD will keep you connected with your body of work no matter where your professional life takes you [2].
2. Stores your current email address – This will ensure you are contactable, even if you move institution. This is particularly important if you are the corresponding author on any publications [1].
3. Reduces time spent on manuscript/grant application submissions – ORCID is increasing in popularity and has been adopted by many large publishers (e.g. PLOS, Nature, and Elsevier), funders (e.g. Welltrust and NIH) and institutions, many of which simply require your ORCID iD [1]. This will save you from having to repeatedly fill out your address, employment history, publications, collaborator names and affiliations etc. [2].
4. Peer-review acknowledgement – Several publishers and funders acknowledge peer-review activity on your ORCID record, including journal article reviews, conference proceeding reviews, post-publication annotations, grant reviews, and academic reviews [3].
5. Automatic updates – You can opt for automatic updates between your ORCID record and various systems, including grant application, manuscript submission, and research information management systems. For example, CrossRef will automatically update your ORCID record when you publish a paper [2].
6. You control what’s visible on your record ­– You have control over the privacy settings, opting for “Open to everyone”, “Open to trusted parties (web services that you’ve linked to your ORCID record)”, or “Open only to yourself” [1­–2].
7. ORCID is an open source community-led non-profit organization – You can discuss any issues you have with ORCID on the feedback forum, and vote for ideas to help shape its development [1–2].

Are there any risks?

There are some concerns that predatory journals are acquiring ORCID iDs as proof of legitimacy; however, it is hoped this issue will be dealt with (by deleting these accounts), and this issue will not directly affect you [4].

Where can I register?

Registration takes less than 30 seconds, requires only your name and email address, and is available at the following address:

https://orcid.org/register

[1] Impactstory Team. (2014) Ten things you need to know about ORCID right now. Impactstory blog. Weblog. Available at: Ten Things You Need to Know About ORCID – ImpactStory Blog [Accessed 22 April 2016].

[2] Meadows, A. (2016) Eight reasons you should get—and use—an ORCID iD. Genes to Genomics.Weblog. Available at: Eight Reasons You Should Get and Use an ORCID ID – Genes to Genomes [Accessed 22 April 2016].

[3] Meadows, A. (2015) ORCID peer review – early adopters. ORCID. Weblog. Available at: ORCID’s Early Adopter Peer Review Program – Progress Report (2015) [Accessed 22 April 2016].

[4] Scholarly Open-Access Publishers. (2015) Concerns about dirty data in the ORCID database. Scholarly Open-Access. Weblog. Available at: Concerns About Dirty Data in the ORCID Database – ScholarlyOA [Accessed 22 April 2016].