Research is one of the main conditions of higher education and academic excellence in the present era. But is it so easy to maintain your identity in the crowd of millions of researchers around the world? Suppose your name and the name of a researcher in another country are exactly the same. Or, your name is spelled differently in different journals. Isn’t this at risk of losing your hard-earned research recognition or credit? A modern and permanent solution to this global problem is ‘ORCID’. In simple terms, a researcher’s ‘Digital NID’ or a trusted passport to roam the world of research.
What exactly is ORCID?
ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a unique digital identifier of 16 digits. It is essentially a system that sets a researcher apart from the crowd of other researchers in the world. Regardless of how the name is spelled or what the name resembles, this 16-digit code permanently links your research, publications, and academic contributions to a particular identity for life.
Why is this digital passport so important?
It is very important in the academic world to properly identify the work of researchers and to give due recognition to their contribution. ORCID makes this task incredibly easy. It stores the researcher’s publications, research projects, grants, patents, review proceedings and other academic contributions in a single profile in a well-organized manner.
It has several incredible benefits—
- International recognition and protection: An internationally recognized identity is available as a researcher. There is no risk of losing research credit due to name differences or similarities.
- Easy tracking: Every research, book chapter or conference paper published is automatically added to the ORCID profile.
- Networking and Integration: It can be easily linked with all the world’s renowned research platforms (eg: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, CrossRef) and networks (ResearchGate, Google Scholar).
- Professionalism and Transparency: Having all your academic work listed in one place increases professionalism and academic trust with reviewers, editors or funding agencies.
Where is this ID required?
It is now essential in the international arena. ORCID is now mandatory while submitting research papers to many reputed international journals. In addition, the use of this ID in research grant or scholarship applications, conference registration, and even the university’s own profile and CV has now become a global standard. The question may arise in the minds of many, where is the difference with the researcher ID or Scopus ID? The main difference is that those IDs are specific publisher or database based. But ORCID is an open and universal ID, bringing data from all platforms under one umbrella.
Who is this ORCID for?
There is a misconception that it is only for PhD holders or senior scientists. In fact, anyone involved in research or academic work—from university teachers, PhD and master’s students to bachelor’s students, data researchers, reviewers or research assistants—needs it.
How to make?
The best part is, this international standard ID is available completely free of cost! An account can be easily created by visiting the orcid.org website and clicking on the ‘Register’ option with a name, e-mail and a password. Once you complete the e-mail verification, you will get your desired unique 16 digit ORCID, which is yours for life.
In today’s research world ORCID is not just an identification number; It is a reliable document of your talent, hard work and academic identity. Creating an ORCID early in your career to ensure research transparency, proper credit and international recognition can be one of the best decisions of your academic career.
