The VDOT Research Library we recommends professional researchers and, frankly, anyone at VDOT who publishes in academic, scientific or engineering journals or other scholarly sources consider getting a free ORCID .
What is ORCID? ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a unique, persistent identifier that can help authors and researchers in several important ways.
First, and most importantly, it helps distinguish your research activities and outputs as an author from those of other researchers (for example, people with similar names) to ensure you get credit for your work and they get credit for their work.
Second, it helps researchers ensure their peers, employers and publishers can all locate and connect with ALL their professional research outputs, including publications, grants and even things like datasets. For a great overview watch this video.
What are some other benefits of having an ORCID?
- Ensures your profile is continuous, even if you change institutions
- It can save you time managing information about your publications, grants, etc.
- Saves time by reducing repetitive data entry into research systems
- It gives you complete control over which systems can access your information including the ability to connect it to ID systems in other databases (notably ResearcherID and Author ID)
These things all maximize the potential for the research and publications listed in your ORCID account to be:
- Discovered by other researchers.
- Cited by other researchers.
- Automatically pushed pulled into other systems (e.g., grant databases,expert profiles, etc.)
Who runs ORCID?
ORCID is a non-profit organization supported by a global community of organizations including universities, publishers, funders, associations, and other stakeholders in the research world. Together, this global community has turned ORCID into a tool that links the many different author ID numbers under a single identifier and allows researcher data to be shared between many types of systems.
Which organizations use ORCID?
- As of 2020 there were 1,092 member organizations including the University of Virginia Libraries
- Many publishers are now requiring (or encouraging use of) ORCID IDs during publication submission
- Many of the large indexing databases including Scopus, Web of Science and Crossref support ORCIDs
- In the future federally funded transportation research applicants may be required to register an ORCID.
How do I get an ORCID?
It is fast (takes less than a minute) and easy to register for an ORCID. Watch this video to learn how.
Once you have an ORCID, you'll need to spend some time entering details about your education, employment, funding and your published works. Enter as much or as little as you like. Don't forget to use your ORCID on every research activity or output to ensure your ORCID connects all of your research.
Here are some examples from VTRC:
Can I search ORCID?
Absolutely! You can search from the top of the ORCID home page, or try the Advanced Search Screen.
Need help?
Contact the Library for assistance.
