Our careers rarely move in straight lines, and that winding path is often what gives us the most useful perspectives as scholars. I’ve always taken pride in the variety of projects I’ve worked on and the different communities I’ve been able to support—but like anyone in education, the longer I’m in the field, the harder it becomes to keep track of it all. Thankfully, during my graduate program, my scholarly communication professor made time to help us set up our ORCID IDs, and it ended up being one of the most valuable things I brought with me into my career.
ORCID IDs are persistent identifiers completely unique to you - similar to a book’s ISSN or article’s DOI. This ensures that we can be differentiated from other researchers with similar names and it provides a way to showcase our academic history in a way that links us to our peers. What does this mean in actual practice? So glad you asked!
Part social media profile and part archive, ORCID integrates with major publishers, funding agencies, and research databases, allowing you to easily connect their profiles to your body of work. Many publishers and professional conferences now require or recommend ORCID IDs when submitting pitches or manuscripts. Similarly, funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), encourage ORCID IDs for applicants. This can make application review easier for your funders as it shows your prior experience with grant-funded research while also providing a place to showcase prior funding awards.
The process for setting up your ORCID ID is fast and completely free. Simply visit the ORCID Researcher website to register and start building your profile.
We encourage faculty and researchers to sign up for ORCID to maximize the impact and accessibility of their work while connecting with other scholars. If you would like to learn more about setting up an ORCID ID please reach out to your EKU Libraries liaison.
Blog Written By: Rachel Riffe
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