Of the more than 6 million authors registered in major journal citations, it is estimated that roughly two-thirds of authors have the same first initial and last name as another, according to the Australian National Data Service. Think about Jack Smith and Jill Smith. Sometimes Jack’s name appears as “Jack Smith”; sometimes Jill’s name appears […]

Of the more than 6 million authors registered in major journal citations, it is estimated that roughly two-thirds of authors have the same first initial and last name as another, according to the Australian National Data Service. Think about Jack Smith and Jill Smith. Sometimes Jack’s name appears as “Jack Smith”; sometimes Jill’s name appears as “Jill Smith”… but sometimes they each appear as “J Smith,” respectively. As you can probably guess, this inconsistency in identification makes it a true challenge to follow the work of a particular researcher. That’s where ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) comes in.

The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry today each signed the ORCID Open Letter. This signifies their intent to collect ORCID IDs for all submitting authors through use of the ORCID API, and to display such identifiers in the articles published in their respective society journals.

ORCID is an open registry that assigns an unique identifier to each and every researcher. While it’s been on the scene since 2012, it has rapidly gained popularity in recent years, and is on its way to becoming an industry standard. For the reader, the goal is to make it easier to find an author; for the author, the goal is to ensure you receive the credit and recognition your scholarly achievements deserve.

Currently, ACS prompts users to connect their ORCID ID with their ACS ID registration; authors are also able to connect it with our submission system, Paragon Plus. Automatic linkage between users and their professional activities is hugely important, which is why ACS Publications will continue to integrate multiple workflows with ORCID. In fact, ACS Publications now requires that all submitting authors enter their ORCID ID upon manuscript revision. Through coordination with CrossRef®, an author’s ACS publishing activity will automatically link to his/her ORCID profile. These integrations will improve accuracy, efficiency and visibility of the work done by researchers, funding organizations, and publishers.

Let’s say you authored a recent paper in ACS Nano. A fellow researcher reads your paper and wants to know more about you. If your ORCID ID is linked with your ACS Paragon Plus account, the reader will be able to view your ORCID profile to explore a fuller body of your work. This could, in turn, possibly lead to collaboration on future research. Besides identifying potential collaborators, ORCID IDs also provide valuable assessment opportunities for funders and institutions. By searching these comprehensive profiles, they can identify high-performing researchers and award grant funding accordingly.

Of course, you don’t have to share your full profile if you don’t want to. ORCID makes it easy for researchers to control their identifier, allowing them to choose what and how much of their information and work is accessible. It can also help researchers save time on administrative and reporting requirements because it works with so many different systems. Entering the same data repeatedly when applying for a grant will be a thing of the past.

So what are you waiting for? If you already have an ORCID ID, you are already reaping the benefits of linking it with your ACS publications activity. And if you don’t have one yet, there’s no need to worry. You can easily register for your (free) identifier today.

Want the latest stories delivered to your inbox each month?