Introducing ORCID numbers!
The Data and Information Management team will soon be adding ORCID® numbers to our records. ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) numbers are to authors what DOIs are to publications. They are unique author identifiers, which enable works to be attributed to correct authors, despite variations in naming.
For example, cultural differences in naming, adoption of a spouse’s name, and the use of middle names or initials can result in this problem:
- Smith, Joe
- Smith, Joseph F.
- Foxy Smith, Joseph
- Smith, JF
- Smith, Joseph
- Foxy-Smith, J
ORCID numbers protect the scholarly identity of researchers, by ensuring that they can be identified though a sixteen digit code, rather than the many options listed above. Authors also receive due credit for their work, rather than sharing credit with three hundred other J. Smiths.
Adoption is happening fast – large institutions, funders, and publishers, such as Web of Science, Elsevier, and PLoS have already adopted ORCID, enabling researchers to submit manuscripts with less paperwork. ORCID numbers also enable institutions to feed research into different databases, without having to submit new author and affiliation records to every platform. ORCID numbers can be attributed to outputs such as data, research publications, multimedia, books, conference papers, etc., and can help institutions compile aggregated statistics on author performance. They are long-term and personal, and do not have to be associated with specific jobs and institutes.
This video provides a helpful overview (con subtítulos en español).
CIAT Scientists – Send us your ORCID numbers!
CIAT Scientists – send us your ORCID number before August 1st, and we will TWEET your most recent publication, or publication of your choice. Registration is free and takes less than one minute:
- Register here.
- Send your ORCID number to the library: CIAT-Library
For your institution, you may add either: International Center for Tropical Agriculture or Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical. You may also add various aliases and work history information, but you do not have to at this point. We really just want your number. Some CIAT researchers have already registered for ORCID numbers. Congratulations to Luis Augusto Becerra Lopez-Lavalle, Steven Prager, Evan Girvetz, Nora Castañeda, Andy Jarvis, Julian Ramirez-Villegas, and Idupulapati Rao, to name a few!
Look for more updates in the next CIAT Research Online newsletter, to be released in mid-July 2015.
Follow the Data and Information Management team on Twitter @CIAT_RO for updates on CIAT’s new information products.