ORCID: a system to uniquely identify researchers

The Open Researcher & Contributor ID (ORCID) registry presents a unique opportunity to solve the problem of author name ambiguity. At its core the value of the ORCID registry is that it crosses disciplines, organizations, and countries, linking ORCID with both existing identifier schemes as well as publications and other research activities. By supporting linkages across multiple datasets – clinical trials, publications, patents, datasets – such a registry becomes a switchboard for researchers and publishers alike in managing the dissemination of research findings. We describe use cases for embedding ORCID identifiers in manuscript submission workflows, prior work searches, manuscript citations, and repository deposition. We make recommendations for storing and displaying ORCID identifiers in publication metadata to include ORCID identifiers, with CrossRef integration as a specific example. Finally, we provide an overview of ORCID membership and integration tools and resources.