What is my ORCID iD and how should I use it?

What is my ORCID iD?

Your ORCID iD is a unique, open digital identifier that distinguishes you from every other researcher with the same or a similar name to you. 

Anyone who participates in research, scholarship, or innovation can register an ORCID iD for themselves free of charge, and you can use the same iD throughout your whole career -- even if your name changes or you move to a different organization, discipline, or country. 

Forgotten your ORCID iD? Find out how to recover it here.

By using your iD in research workflows like manuscript and grant submission, you can connect yourself with your professional activities and affiliations. After signing in to your record, you can grant permission for the systems and platforms you use to update your ORCID record with trusted information about you. This enables easy and error-free sharing and re-use of this information.

Your ORCID iD number is visible to everyone, displayed on your ORCID record below your name. You can change the visibility settings for all other information on your ORCID record (see below).

How should I use my ORCID iD?

With hundreds of systems now using ORCID iDs, the chances are you will be asked - or required -- to provide yours, for example, while submitting a manuscript, applying for a grant, or setting up your institutional profile page. Below are some useful pointers on how to use your iD, and you can learn more in Six Ways to Make Your ORCID iD Work for You.

• Visibility settings. By default, all information on your ORCID record is publicly available except your email address(es), which are set as private. However, you can change the visibility settings for all information on your ORCID record whenever you want (learn more at Visibility preferences)
• Permissions, trusted organizations and record updates. Our mantra is "enter once, reuse often" - sharing the information in your ORCID record saves you time and reduces the risk of errors. But only share your ORCID iD with systems that provide a sign-in screen. Signing in (or “authenticating”) enables you to choose what happens to your information, and it also ensures that the connections you make with your ORCID iD are trusted (learn more about Trusted organizations)
• Add all your email addresses to your ORCID record. Adding past and present addresses makes it easier to log in and less likely that you’ll lose access to your ORCID record if, for example, you move organizations. It also enables you to make connections between your ORCID record and activities and affiliations linked to former emails (learn more in Account email addresses)
• Use your iD! Include your ORCID iD on your web page and email signature, and use it when prompted as you submit a manuscript, apply for a grant, and in any other research workflow to ensure you get credit for your work