ORCID: the Open Researcher and Contributor ID

ORCID (Open Researcher & Contributor ID) is an organization that provides online profiles where researchers can communicate their publications and other scholarly activities. When you create an ORCID profile, you'll receive an ORCID iD, a unique, persistent identifier, that lets you integrate your scholarly portfolio across systems.

Register for ORCID

Why use ORCID?

There are a lot of reasons you might want to create an ORCID profile, including:

• ORCID provides a unique, persistent online identity that tracks your scholarly output across positions and institutions
• Many publishers and funders require researchers to have an ORCID iD
• ORCID profiles are interoperable with the federal SciENcv biosketch platform
• And it's free!

ORCID and the NC State University Libraries' Citation Index

The Libraries' Citation Index is a local tool that connects to ORCID. When you add citations to your Citation Index, they'll automatically be shared to your ORCID profile. Many campus departments use Citation Index to display recent publications in staff directories.

To connect Citation Index to your ORCID profile, log into Citation Index and select "Get Started". If you don't have an ORCID iD yet, Citation Index will step you through creating one and linking it to your Citation Index account.

Start using Citation Index

Citation Index CV Service

Once you have a Citation Index profile, the Libraries can use your CV to populate your ORCID profile for you. Upload your CV to Citation Index (login required) and a librarian will add your scholarly works to Citation Index. Any citations with DOIs will automatically be imported to your ORCID profile.

Frequently Asked Questions about ORCID and Citation Index

• How do I find my ORCID iD?

  After you login to your ORCID account, you will be taken to your ORCID profile. Your ORCID iD is the 16 digit number located at the top left.

• Who can see my ORCID profile?

  Your 16-digit ORCID iD is always publicly visible. You can change individual privacy settings for each entry on your profile, including employment, qualifications, and works. These can be visible by only yourself, by trusted parties, or by everyone. Read more about visibility settings on ORCID’s website.

• Do I need an ORCID iD?

  Many major publishers require authors to have an ORCID iD, including Springer-Nature, Science, Wiley, IEEE, Cambridge University Press, PLOS, and more. Several federal funders also require an ORCID iD, including NSF and NIH. ORCID iDs also serve as a persistent identifier for organizations that require one, including USDA and FDA.

• Why should I use ORCID over another researcher ID?

  The advantage of ORCID over author IDs like the Scopus Author ID from Elsevier or ResearcherID from Clarivate is that ORCID is not affiliated with any single publisher. It’s the preferred author ID for many publishers and funders because it is open source and integrates with many other platforms. If you already have a Scopus Author ID or ResearcherID, you can connect those to ORCID and it will automatically update them based on your ORCID iD activity.

• I already have my works listed on a different researcher profile platform. Why would I duplicate that on ORCID?

  ORCID is unique because unlike Google Scholar or other researcher profiles, it is non-proprietary and can share citation data with trusted parties like federal funding agencies and NC State's Citation Index. This reduces the number of times you need to re-enter the same citation information across platforms.

  If you already have a different researcher profile platform, send your profile URL to the Libraries at group-lib-orcid@ncsu.edu and we will manually import your data to your ORCID profile. If you don’t have an ORCID iD yet, or haven’t connected your ORCID profile to Citation Index, log into Citation Index and select "Get Started".

• Is there an easy way to move my information into my ORCID profile?

  Yes! After you connect your ORCID profile to Citation Index, the Libraries can use your CV to populate your ORCID profile for you. Upload your CV to Citation Index (login required) and a librarian will add your scholarly works to Citation Index. Any citations with DOIs will automatically be imported from Citation Index to your ORCID profile. For works without a DOI we will prepare a file that can be used to bulk-import those citations to ORCID.

  If you already have a different researcher profile platform, send your profile URL to the Libraries at group-lib-orcid@ncsu.edu and we will manually import your data to your ORCID.

• How does ORCID work with SciENcv?

  You can link your ORCID record to sciENcv to help you create your biosketches more easily. Learn more about using SciENcv and ORCID to create a biosketch.

• What if a citation in my ORCID profile is incorrect?

  Citations can sometimes be communicated incorrectly between systems. If you find problems with your citations, reach out to the Libraries at group-lib-orcid@ncsu.edu and we will be happy to help.

• Why is the number of citations on my ORCID profile different from the number of citations on my Citation Index profile?

  Citation Index can only send citations with DOIs to your ORCID profile. If you would like to add citations without DOIs to your ORCID profile, we can provide you with a BibTeX file that you can use to upload them to ORCID. Contact the Libraries' ORCID team for more information.

• How do I login to ORCID with my NC State UnityId and password?

  Once you have set up your ORCID account, ORCID offers you the ability to link your ORCID account to your NC State UnityID and password so you can authenticate into your account by linking your NC State and ORCID accounts together.

  • If you visit the ORCID homepage and click on the Sign in / Register button in the upper right corner of the screen, the login screen will offer you an option to Sign in through your institution at the bottom of the page. 
  • If you click on the Sign in through your institution button, on the following screen it will ask you to Type your organization name. As you are typing North Carolina State University should pop-up in the list for you to choose. 
  • Once you have chosen North Carolina State University, click the continue button. 
  • On the following screen, ORCID will ask you to Link your North Carolina State University account to your ORCID account by typing in your ORCID iD or email address and your ORCID iD password. If you aren't sure what your ORCID iD password is, you can reset the password on ORCID's Password and iD recovery page. 
  • Once you have entered your ORCID iD and password, click the button that says Sign in and link your North Carolina State University account.
  • This will send you through NC State's Entra authentication and link the two accounts together. After that you won't need to enter your ORCID iD and password in order to login to your ORCID account when you choose the Sign in through your institution button.