An ORCID iD is an alphanumeric code, kind of like a social security number, that links you to your professional activities and distinguishes you from other researchers. Lane Library and the other libraries at Stanford recommend that every Stanford-affiliated researcher claim their ORCID.
Your ORCID iD is universal, meaning that it is not tied to an individual institution or database. Even if your name changes, your ORCID iD will remain the same. For this reason, scholarly publishers, research funders, and other organizations are increasingly adopting and supporting ORCID. An ORCID iD can also function as a key, unlocking a chain of research-related tools. For example, you can use your ORCID iD to auto-populate profile systems like SciENcv, and log into tools like Dryad.
The box below serves as a very brief introduction to ORCID, with subsequent pages providing more information about how you can register, add work to, and make use of your ORCID iD. If you have additional questions or would like to schedule a consultation related to ORCID, contact your liaison librarian.
What is ORCID? from ORCID on Vimeo.
ORCID is an alphanumeric code, kind of like a social security number, that identifies you as a contributor to scholarly work. Lane Library and the other libraries at Stanford recommend that every Stanford-affiliated researcher claim their ORCID.
Contact your liaison librarian if you have any questions about setting up or using your ORCID iD. For more information about maintaining your researcher identity, see our Research Impact guide.
There are a variety of ways to claim your ORCID iD and link it to your Stanford credentials. Below we've listed what we think are the most straightforward steps. If you have questions or would like to set up a consultation, please contact your liaison librarian.
Why maintain an ORCID profile when you're already maintaining similar profiles elsewhere? Because you can actually use ORCID to connect to many of these systems and share content between them!
One such system is SciENcv (Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae), the profile system for anyone who applies for, receives, or is associated with research investments from federal agencies like NIH and NSF. Researchers can use SciENcv to create and maintain biosketches that are submitted with grant applications and annual reports.
For more information, see this video from NCBI or contact your liaison librarian
In addition to profile systems like SciENcv, ORCID also integrates with a variety of other research-related tools giving you essentially a single sign and enabling you to share information about your contributions throughout your research toolchain. Below we've highlighted some tools that connect with ORCID that are widely used at Stanford Medicine.
Dryad, the open data repository, requires ORCID iDs for login. Once you've logged in and published a dataset through Dryad, you can be added to your ORCID profile as a work. Dryad also allows you to add ORCID iDs for co-authors. | |
Overleaf, the collaborative LaTeX editor allows you to login with your ORCID iD and connect your ORCID to your current account. Once your account is linked, your ORCID iD will be included when you submit work to participating publishers. | |
Protocols.io is a repository for recording and sharing up-to-date research methods and protocols. Connecting your ORCID iD with your account allows protocols.io to post information about your published protocols onto the "Works" section of your ORCID record. |