Months or maybe years ago you set up an ORCID. That’s a great first step to having a unique identifier for your research and work. It allows others to find, link to, and credit you for your work even if you have a common name. Some major scientific publishers and funders now require an ORCID to publish with them or submit grant proposals.
Setting up your ORCID is just the first step (if you haven’t taken that step yet, here’s how!) Your ORCID needs care and feeding to maximize the benefits to you. Here’s some tips for keeping your ORCID up to date and maximizing its usefulness:
- Make sure to add all the variants for how your name appears in works. Do you sometimes use two initials and sometimes use just one? Do you sometimes use a shortened version of your first name (ex. Jon for Jonathan). Make sure all these versions get added to your account - here’s how.
- Published something new or gotten a new grant? Add it! You can link your ScopusID (here’s a brief tutorial) or figshare to automatically add new works to your ORCID account.
- Add your ORCID to My NCBI or your SciENcv Biosketch and let your ORCID account keep those accounts up to date.
- Include your ORCID on your CV, email signature, LinkedIn, ResearchGate and Twitter profiles. It allows others to easily see all of your works.
- Need a quick print record of your work? Generate a printable CV using your ORCID URL plus “print”, i.e. https://orcid.org/your_ORCID_here/print
For more information on creating and maintaining ORCIDs, check out our Research Guide or watch our YouTube tutorial.
