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Eastern Michigan University Halle Library

Researcher Profiles

About ORCID Profiles

What Is an ORCID iD?

An ORCID iD is a unique 16-digit identifier just for researchers. It helps keep all your scholarly work neatly organized in one place, no matter where you’ve published or what name you used. With an ORCID iD, you won’t have to worry about being confused with someone else. Your record travels with you and makes it easy for institutions, publishers, and databases to recognize your contributions.

Having an ORCID boosts the visibility of your research and helps others find your work without any of the usual name mix-ups.

Why use ORCID?

  • Plays well with others. ORCID works across publisher websites, research databases (like Web of Science and Scopus), funding agencies, and university systems. Updates can happen automatically, saving you time and hassle.
  • No more name confusion. Changing your name, different spellings, diacritics, or sharing a name with someone at your institution? ORCID keeps your record straight.
  • All your research, in one spot. ORCID can list not just articles but datasets, peer review, media coverage, experiments, patents, and more.
  • Easier to discover. By linking everything to your ORCID iD, your work is much easier to find, no matter its format.
  • Saves you time. Reusing your publication and profile data for submissions, applications, or memberships is quicker and simpler with ORCID’s cross-tool connections.

Setting Up Your ORCID iD

  1. Go to the registration page. Visit the ORCID registration page to get started.
  2. Enter your details. Fill in your first and last name, and use your EMU email address. Tip: It’s a good idea to add a personal email, as well, so you’ll always have access, even if you switch institutions.
  3. Set up your account. Choose a password and review your notification preferences.
  4. Pick your profile visibility. You’ll be asked who can see your ORCID profile: “Everyone” (default), “Trusted parties,” or “Only me.” Many researchers pick “Only me” while they’re setting things up and switch to “Everyone” later.
  5. Review trusted organizations. In your account settings, you can see which organizations have permission to access your ORCID. When you connect ORCID to a journal, publisher, or other platform, you’ll be asked to approve their access (for example, during manuscript submission).

Adding Publications to Your ORCID Profile

  1. Search and Link
    The easiest and most accurate way is to use “Search and link” (great for journal articles and other standard research outputs).
    • Go to your ORCID “Works” section and click + Add.
    • Select Search and link to see a list of partner databases and organizations.
    • Pick the source you want to connect with, like Scopus, and follow the steps to authorize and add your publications. This method pulls your publication details directly, so your record stays accurate.
  2. Add Manually
    This is perfect for unique outputs, like creative works or research datasets, or items not found in major databases.
    • Click Add manually and fill in required fields (work category, type, title, etc.).
    • Include identifiers when possible (DOI for articles, ISBN for books). If none, add a stable URL.
    • For NTROs/RMS records, complete citation fields as needed and choose an appropriate type.
    • When finished, click Save changes.
  3. Add BibTeX
    Use this method to bring in citations from sources that don’t integrate directly with ORCID, like Google Scholar or EndNote.
    • From “Works,” select Add BibTeX.
    • Upload your BibTeX (.bib) file and review the list.
    • Click Save next to individual items or Save all to add everything.
    • Your newly added works will show “you” as the source. Tip: “Search and link” is usually more reliable, so use BibTeX only when needed.

For more help, see ORCID’s guides on adding works and manual/BibTeX entry.