Researchers can now create or connect their ORCID identifier (ORCID iD) in the Research Councils’ grants system (Je-S) by logging in to their personal information page. This is an important first step towards improving the flow of research information across the higher education sector.
ORCID offers a platform for researchers to capture their scholarly activities throughout their careers even if they change name, publish under different variations of their name, move institutions, or switch fields. This helps them get exposure and recognition for their work. Increasingly it will be a tool to link and re-use research information unambiguously across multiple systems whether that’s for funders, publishers or their university.
Professor Jane Elliott, Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), chairs a sector-wide group that is undertaking a project to map what datasets are available across the UK research landscape and provide ways to make them more widely available for a range of potential users. She said:“ORCID is one of the key tools we have at our disposal to facilitate the linking of individual researchers to all their outputs with as little manual effort as possible. Increased use of ORCID and similar tools will improve data quality and interoperability between data sources. In turn, this will encourage a wider use of evidence to inform future research investment priorities. I use ORCID myself to keep a track of my own academic activities, and I am pleased to see that journals are increasingly encouraging its use.”