ORCID and Author Identifiers

Identifiers are an increasingly important component in online research information management. Identifiers are assigned to researchers to help distinguish between different people with similar names. This is made more difficult when researchers move between different institutions, different positions, and sometimes even different fields. The most commonly used identifier is ORCID.

ORCID's Overview for Researchers

ORCID

ORCID is a non-profit organization, operating since 2010. An ORCID ID is a 16-digit numerical code issued by ORCID to assist authors with asserting ownership of their work and disambiguating themselves from others in the scholarly record.

The University of Idaho is a member organization of ORCID. Our partnership provides several benefits:

  • U of I researchers can log in to the ORCID system using the U of I NetID and password.

  • U of I administrative units can create software integrations to connect U of I systems to ORCID

  • U of I researchers can connect their ORCID accounts with their U of I accounts to permit the sharing of scholarly information between the systems. To connect your U of I and ORCID accounts, you will soon be able to visit orcid.uidaho.edu to enable the library and research office to push grants data to your ORCID account.

Having connected the systems, we will able to update your ORCID and institutional scholarly records (both internally and through the VIVO/Esploro system) automatically, reducing the workload on you and on staff who manage these systems.

Connecting ORCID with the NIH and NSF

Starting in 2023, the federal government is requiring the use of researcher unique identifiers. This is intended to make research information management easier for agencies and for institutions. ORCID is the most likely tool to be used for this purpose. NSF and NIH have mechanisms for connecting your ORCID to their systems in order to facilitate SciENcv biosketch generation.

NIH/ORCID SciENcv BioSketch Instructions

For assistance, please contact Jeremy Kenyon (jkenyon@uidaho.edu) at the University of Idaho Library.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Boise State University Albertsons Library and ORCID for information and ideas in setting up this page.