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ORCiD: Signing up

You may have heard of ORCID iDs but don't know what they are for or how to create one. This guide explains why you might need one, how to sign up and how ORCID identifiers are being used by organisations, publishers and funding organisations.

Three quick steps to creating your ORCID iD

Registering for an ORCID iD is quick and simple.

  • Sign up at https://orcid.org/register
  • Complete the form giving the version of your name that you want to be known by. 
  • Add your email address - you can add additional addresses later in the process.
  • Choose and confirm your password.
  • Decide whether you want your information to be public, restricted or private by default (You can change this for different items as you begin add information to your ORCID profile)
  • Decide how often you want updates from ORCID. Once your iD is linked to other sites (eg databases and manuscript submission sites), you may get updates as content is added (if you have authorised this).

It is now possible to sign up for an ORCID from within CentAUR, Reading University's institutional repository, if you are a staff member. For help on how to do this, navigate to the ORCID and CentAUR integration tab

Once you have registered for your ORCID iD, it is important to add any variants in the names that you have used during your career and to publish your research outputs. 

Do this first BEFORE you start importing your works from other sources - this will ensure that you get the best capture and linking of your publications and outputs. 

To add different versions of your name, click on the pencil icon next to the 'Also known as' section.

name variants

Add all the different versions of your name that you might have used in your scholarly activity.

This could be just adding extra initials that you might have used.

Name variants could include a previous surname if you have changed your name through marriage, gender re-assignment or via deed poll. 
   

How to edit your name on your ORCID record from ORCID on Vimeo.

Adding information to your ORCID profile is easy. It is up to you how much information you include and whether this information is public, restricted or private. 

The minimum information that you should add is probably your country of residence, where you work and some keywords that describe your research interests. 

Tip: It is always a good idea to add additional email addresses to your profile (they remain private unless you want them to be shown) just in case you lose access to the email address that you first registered with. 

The sections that can be completed are: 

Completing the Biography, Education and Employment sections is straightforward and the links above will take you to online help if you need it. If you have linked your ORCID record to CentAUR, your affiliation to University of Reading should be added to your employment details. 

Adding details of your Funding and Works can be done by linking to various databases (including CentAUR), by uploading a BibTex file or by entering the details manually. 

More detailed instructions on how to add your publications, funding awards and peer review activity are available in this guide under the tab 'Building your ORCID profile'.

Why have an ORCID iD?

Publishers Wiley explain why an ORCID iD can save researchers time and makes sure that they get credit for their research outputs. 

How to sign up for an ORCID