ORCID

ORCID, short for Open Researcher and Contributor ID, is a non-profit initiative that provides a persistent digital identifier to researchers and scholars. The central product is the ORCID iD, a 16-digit identifier formatted as four groups separated by hyphens (for example, 0000-0002-1825-0097). Each iD is linked to an ORCID profile that aggregates basic personal information, institutional affiliations, and a researcher’s works, including publications, datasets, and grants.

Researchers can claim and manage their ORCID iD and the data associated with it. Profiles can be updated by the researchers themselves or synchronized from external sources. Privacy controls allow users to make all information public, partially public (limited), or private. ORCID iDs can be connected to institutional accounts and integrated with publishers, funders, and research data services, enabling automated updates and reducing author-name ambiguity across platforms.

ORCID is widely adopted in scholarly workflows. Its API and support for authentication via OAuth 2.0 enable programmatic access and integration with manuscript submission systems, indexing services, and funding applications. Metadata interchange standards, such as those used by Crossref and DataCite, facilitate the linking of works to researchers. While participation is voluntary for researchers, many publishers and funders require or encourage the use of an ORCID iD to streamline processes, improve attribution, and enhance the accuracy of author information across research ecosystems.