Recommendations for using ORCID iD
In an increasingly connected scientific landscape, the growing number of published research outputs (data, text, software) and new open publishing models pose major challenges for scientific publication management. A persistent problem in the publication process is the globally unambiguous attribution of individual authors to their work. Practical problems arise from distinguishing between authors with identical names, but also between different variations of the same person’s name on different platforms, and from name changes. In addition, researchers often change institutions over the course of their careers. Unique and consistent identification systems, summarized under the generic term "Persistent Identifier" (PID), play a central role in solving this problem. The repositories available to FID GEO, GEO-LEOe-docs (SUB Goettingen) and GFZ Data Services (GFZ), have long been working with PIDs such as the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and the Open Researcher and Contributor iD (ORCID iD).
ORCID iD
The ORCID iD is an open alphanumeric identifier used to uniquely identify researchers. ORCID is an international non-profit organization with more than 1200 member institutions (scientific institutions, funders, publishers) and is financed by them. Registration of an ORCID iD is free of charge for users. Both the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Initiative for Network Information (DINI) have long recommended the use of ORCID iDs. To promote ORCID in Germany, the ORCID DE project was launched in 2016 and is now in its second project phase of funded from the DFG.
Recommendations for using ORCID iD
For repositories such as GEO-LEOe-docs and GFZ Data Services, the curation work for text and data publications is strongly facilitated by a minimum number of activated visibility settings in the personal ORCID profiles (the so-called 'ORCID Record'). For unambiguous identification, we recommend that you make at least your full name (i.e., first name, surname) and your own works (e.g., papers, book chapters, conference contributions, datasets) publicly visible (for ‘everyone’). It is possible to set the visibility of each work individually. It is important to check the visibility settings each time you make a change to your ORCID record (see Media 1). When entering a name, especially in German-speaking countries, it is important to note that alternative spellings of umlauts in the name should be noted under 'Name' > 'Edit' > 'Other names' and that these will also be publicly visible. An ORCID record is easy to maintain with the right settings, as it can be populated automatically. The automatic integration of your own works can be automatically done by DOI-registering organizations such as Crossref and DataCite. The settings for this can be made under 'Works' > 'Add+' > 'Search & Link' > e.g., 'DataCite' > 'Authorize access'. When authorizing automatic updates via DataCite, you can also integrate a GitHub token. This allows published software to be included in the ORCID record even if it is not published with a DOI. Inclusion or visibility of the institutional affiliation ('Affilliation') further enhances individual discoverability and identifiability in the global ORCID search. It is also advisable to make the ORCID iD visible on research institution websites where possible. In addition, memberships in academic societies can be selected from a controlled list in the ORCID record under 'Memberships and Services'. Geoscientific academic societies in German-speaking countries are not yet integrated, but can be added manually via 'Add Service' or 'Add Membership'.
FID GEO recommends that you actively use your ORCID iD at conferences or when submitting manuscripts, grant applications, data or software publications. In this way, the ORCID iD acts as your digital business card that can not only be kept up to date with little effort, but also provides a detailed and standardized scientific profile of the user. It is even possible to generate a matching QR code for your own ORCID iD, which can then be printed on physical business cards or posters etc. It is further possible to link ORCID with identifiers such as ResearcherID and Scopus ID, as well as with social media platforms. For more information on how to get the most out of ORCID, we recommend a visit to orcid.org which has tutorial videos and display guidelines, ORCID-DE.org, which has well-documented workshops on the subject, and fidgeo.de.
Linked resources
- Original article: [@LorenzEtAl2023]
- Contact: info@fidgeo.de
The Geosciences Information Service (FID GEO) is a DFG-funded service of the Goettingen State and University Library (SUB Goettingen) and the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and aims to promote cultural change towards Open Science with its services.