Getting Started
This section focuses on the two most commonly used identifiers; ORCID and DOI.
An ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) will correctly identify a specific researcher or contributor even when their name is not unique. This guards against the name ambiguity which can lead to a researcher’s outputs and activities being incorrectly attributed to a different person with a similar name. A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) reliably points to a digital object even when its online location (URL) has changed. This guards against the problem of link rot (‘page not found’ errors).
ORCID
ORCID iDs are an example of PIDs that assist in maintaining a healthy scholarly ecosystem. ORCID provide researchers with a unique identifier that persists throughout their career. An ORCID iD includes 16 digits in blocks of 4, separated by hyphens to aid readability. When the 16-digits are preceded by “https://orcid.org/” it is actionable online and resolves to a landing page providing more information about the researcher. For example: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-0097
ORCID iDs are integrated in key research workflows such as journal manuscript submission, grant application, peer review and research evaluation. There are also many benefits for researchers to having an ORCID iD; the University College of Dublin’s ORCID page gives an overview of these benefits.
Watch “What is ORCID” to learn how authors can use their ORCID iD to distinguish themselves and connect themselves with their activities and publications.
The Digital Object Identifier – DOI
Persistent identifiers are also given to digital objects, projects, grants and organizations. The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is the most universally adopted identifier.
DOIs can be assigned to different levels of the same content. It could be title-level, such as a whole journal or book, or specific, such as an article or chapter. Crossref describes this system like a set of nesting dolls, with each doll having it’s own DOI.
While they are most commonly assigned to publications, DOIs can also be assigned to datasets, software, and other research outputs to enable linking between research outputs and related data, software and even equipment.
Consider: What are the benefits of object identifiers? How can they aid with discoverability and citation? Does your institution assign DOIs for theses or dissertations and what are the benefits?
Learn More
As PIDs can be applied to a broad range of contexts and circumstances, there are many more examples beyond ORCID IDs and DOIs. A few examples include:
- Research Activity Identifiers (RAiD), a persistent identifier design for research projects, which connects researchers, institutions, outputs, and tools. To learn more, watch the video available on the RAiD website.
- International GeoSample Number (IGSN), which can be used as a persistent identifier for physical objects and specimens. This is particularly useful for the disciplines of archaeology, biology, biomedicine and materials sciences.
- ResearcherID, an author identifier connected to the Web of Science database. Watch the video “Show your research impact with a Publons Profile” to get an idea of how it works.
Consider: What are the benefits of using identifiers for these different circumstances? Do the different identifiers have different benefits? Can you think of any additional use cases for PIDs?
Challenge Me
Read “Persistent identifiers: the building blocks of the research information infrastructure“ or “Identifying PIDs playing FAIR” to find out more about how PIDs are aligned with FAIR principles.