http://libguides.sun.ac.za/ About ORCID
Have you tried to search for an author, only to discover that he/she shares a name with 10 other researchers? Or that Google Scholar stopped tracking citations to your work after taking your spouse's surname a few years ago? The Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) is a permanent identifier system for researchers that provides a persistent 16-digit numeric identification number (e.g. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5109-3700) to distinguish you from all other researchers.
If you have published before you are likely to have a ResearcherID or Scopus Author ID, or may have publications indexed in CrossRef. ORCID allow you to easily import information from those systems into one online identity. The identity numbers are then stored in a central registry. And if you were to move between institutions your organisational affiliation and e-mail address can just be updated.
ORCID and Stellenbosch University researchers
Although ORCID is free for anyone to register, Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service saw the need to subscribe as an institutional member to take advantage of the full features of ORCID, such as integrating with researcher information systems, the institutional repository (SUNScholar), grants and contracts and HR systems. Some of these integration points will be developed during the second semester of 2015 and, as soon as it is ready, an invitation e-mail will be distributed to all academic staff, researchers and postgraduate students to register their Stellenbosch University-affiliated ORCID identifiers. Those who already have an ORCID iD will be asked to confirm their correct institutional affiliation and thereby integrate their iDs with the university institutional systems.
In the meantime researchers are welcome to proceed to create their iDs, populate it with their own publications, biographies, etc. and explore what it can do for a researcher. Your ORCID iD will belong to you throughout your scholarly career to distinguish you from other researchers and ensure consistent, reliable attribution of your work.
How to get going:
1. Claim your free ORCID iD at http://orcid.org/register
(It is advised to use your Stellenbosch University e-mail address to register or to add it as an alternative e-mail address).
2. Import your research outputs and add biographical information using the automated import wizards. (See our library guide for help).
3. Use your ORCID iD when you apply for grants, submit publications, or share your CV.
More information and frequently asked questions are available on the library guide, ORCID and other researcher identifiers.
Enquiries: Marié Roux
