ORCIDterminologia

ORCID terminology refers to the set of concepts and terms used around the ORCID system, a global initiative providing a persistent digital identifier for researchers and other contributors. ORCID, or the ORCID iD, is a unique, permanent identifier that distinguishes an individual across scholarly outputs and affiliations. An ORCID iD is a 16-digit number formatted in four groups separated by hyphens (for example 0000-0002-1825-0097) and is often presented as a URL such as https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-0097.

An ORCID record is the personal profile linked to an iD. It can contain core data such as names and biographical details, as well as structured sections for works, affiliations, education, funding, and peer review activities. Works are the scholarly outputs attributed to an iD; metadata typically includes title, authors, publication year, DOI or other identifiers, and the source of the record. Affiliations denote institutional associations and may be standardized through controlled vocabularies such as ROR. Privacy and visibility controls allow users to set what information is public, private, or accessible to trusted parties.

Data can be added directly by the user or imported from publishers, funders, or institutions; trusted organizations (TOs) help verify claimed affiliations. The ORCID API and OAuth 2.0 enable third-party applications to read or update data with user consent. This terminology supports interoperability across publishers, funders, repositories, and researchers, helping disambiguate identities and improve attribution.