It is important that researchers manage their identity to ensure that their publications and citations are properly recorded. Unique identifiers can help with this. In addition, many funders require researchers to have a unique ID.
This page provides information on the following:
ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) provides researchers with a unique persistent digital identifier, allowing disambiguation from other authors with the same or similar names. Individual researchers can register with ORCID for free, complete a profile and list or match their ORCID with their publications via the CrossRef system. It is also possible to link an ORCID identifier with other identifiers, including those generated by SCOPUS, ResearcherID and LinkedIn.
As different publishers and databases use a wide range of naming conventions, there may be ambiguities with authors' names. ORCIDs are commonly used when submitting grant applications.
Register with ORCID in three easy steps. You can view videos below for more information about ORCID and how to link your ORCID ID with your publications.
More details on how to register your ORCID are available on the ORCID website.
Create a Google Scholar Profile to keep track of your citations. You can also see who is citing your work, graph citations over time, and compile citation metrics. You can make your profile public to appear in Google Scholar results when people search for your name.
It is simple to set-up and maintain your profile - even if you have written hundreds of articles, and if your name is shared by several different authors.
You can also use your Google Scholar profile to populate your ORCID - view videos below for instructions on how to set up your profile and populate your ORCID.
Setting up a Google Scholar Profile - Rachel Helbing, University of Houston Libraries on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uND8iWABGoc
Populating ORCID from Google Scholar - McMaster University, Health Sciences Library on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NbYEEl2jlAY