Academic Identity

With the evolution of the internet and new forms of scholarly communication, the globalization of research, more emphasis on interdisciplinary research, researchers moving from one field to another, researchers being more mobile -- to name just a few -- the issues associated with finding and keeping track of a scholar’s research has magnified significantly.

Additionally, there is increased interest – on the part of universities, research institutes, funding agencies – in tracking research (publications, data sets, websites, software, patents, grants, etc.) and connecting them to create a “story” that demonstrates the value of each researcher’s contributions, the value of the institution’s aggregated research endeavors, and the return on investment for the agencies that fund research initiatives.  

Your name is key to establishing a unique public profile throughout your scholarly career -- no matter what kind of scholarship you pursue. However, most name's aren't unique, and everyone's name is subject to variants. Having a unique, persistent, recognized identifier to which all of your scholarship is linked is invaluable in an online environment. Although other scholar identification systems exist (Author ID (Elsevier/Scopus), ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier), Researcher ID (Thomson Reuters/Web of Science)), research institutions, publishers, and funders are rapidly adopting ORCID as a standard. Your ORCID iD builds your academic identity by:

• Showcasing all of your accomplishments -- publications, datasets, slide presentations, videos, grants, patents, etc. -- especially important for young/new researchers.
• Attracting collaborators who encounter your ORCID profile.
• Providing a single source for information about you for publication and funding processes.
• Identifying all of your name variations, throughout your career.

Why can ORCID do this more effectively than existing scholar identifiers? Because:

• ORCID iD’s are global (they work around the world)
• ORCID iD’s are persistent (they identify you over your career regardless of your affiliation or employment status)
• ORCID respects privacy (iD holders are free to set their profile information to be as public or as private as desired)
• ORCID iD’s are portable (they go with you when or if you leave Baylor University or any other institution)
• ORCID iD’s are anonymous and secure (the 16-digit numeric identifier is randomly generated—no connection to age, nationality, place of origin, gender, or any other personal attribute)
• ORCID iD’s are interoperable (they work both in open information systems across the Internet and in private systems used by a particular university, publisher, agency, etc.)
• ORCID iD’s are not-for-profit (they are an international standard that representatives from both commercial and not-for-profit sectors have agreed to use, so their systems can work together for the greater good)
• ORCID iD’s are platform-agnostic, discipline-neutral, and publisher-independent (they work for everyone, regardless of field, publishing preferences, or preferred computing operating system)
• ORCIDs are free to acquire or maintain. ORCID is a not-for-profit organization.
  [Adapted from Establishing Your Scholarly/Professional Identity with ORCID: A Care and Feeding Manual for Graduate Students, http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/151483]

What is the adoption rate for ORCID?

• Nearly 2.5 million researchers have registered.
• Over 200 systems have integrated ORCID iDs.
• Research funders have started to require iDs during the grant application process.
• Publishers are starting to require iDs during manuscript submission process.

1. Go to: https://orcid.org/register
2. Complete the information on the form (name, e-mail, set a password).
3. Determine the default level of privacy you want.

   	Everyone
   	Trusted Parties
   	Only Me

4. Un-select notification e-mail check boxes according to your preference.
5. Select the "Terms of Use" checkbox -- required to register.
6. Click the "Register" button. 
7. Provide the Baylor Libraries with your ORCID iD by completing this form.

For more information check out the ORCID research guide or documentation at ORCID.