ORCID FAQs

What is an ORCID?

ORCIDs are Open Researcher and Contributor Identifiers. They are provided to researchers as unique identifiers to distinguish their research from that of others who may have similar names.

Why do I need an ORCID and Why is ACM requiring them?

ACM now requires that all going forward accepted journal authors provide their ORCIDs in order to complete the ACM eRights process and have their accepted submissions published in the ACM Digital Library.

To ensure a seamless process that does not result in delays to the publication of your accepted submission, we suggest that all corresponding authors work with their co-authors to ensure that all named co-authors on accepted submissions have signed up for ORCIDs in advance or at the time of submission, but in any event no later than upon acceptance of their submission.

Anyone who participates in research, scholarship, or innovation can register an ORCID for themselves free of charge, and you can use the same ORCID throughout your entire career—even if your name changes or you move to a different organization, discipline, or country.

What is the benefit of having an ORCID? What can I do with it?

Having an ORCID identifier distinguishes you and ensures your research output and activities are correctly attributed to you. In doing this, it reliably connects you with your contributions and affiliations and improves recognition and discoverability for you and your research outputs, including inclusion of your work in indexing services.
Operationally, having an ORCID can make signing into websites more seamless (such as ScholarOne Manuscripts) is interoperable in that it works with many institutions, funders, and publishers.

How do I register for an ORCID?

Registering is easy and takes less than five minutes. To register, visit https://orcid.org/register. If you are not sure if you already have an ORCID (as your institution may have signed you up for one), visit https://orcid.org/reset-password, select the ORCID iD option, enter your registered email address in the email field, and select the Recover Account Details button. ORCID will send you an email from [email protected], letting you know your 16-digit ORCID identifier.

Your ORCID iD connects with your ORCID record that can contain links to your research activities, affiliations, awards, other versions of your name, and more. You control this content and who can see it. You will be able to choose from the below visibility settings (more information can be found here: https://support.orcid.org/hc/en-us/articles/360006897614).

Can the corresponding author of an accepted ACM submission create and register an ORCID on behalf of a named co-author on an accepted work?

In general, one of the core principles of ORCID is "individual control" and the right of the record-holder to control their data in the ORCID Registry. For this reason, only the co-author (record-holder) or a designated and authorized proxy of the co-author (record-holder) may create and register an ORCID and make decisions about what data to add to that co-author's ORCID record, how long the data stays in the Registry, and whether the data remains in the Registry. This is the only way to ensure that all information about record-holders in the ORCID Registry was provided either by the record-holder (co-author) or by their trusted and authorized proxy.

Serving as the corresponding author on an accepted ACM submission does not authorize the corresponding author to register an ORCID on their co-author's behalf. That co-author must provide the corresponding author with explicit authorization to serve as their proxy, since such a decision will effectively authorize that individual to access and maintain the record-holder's data in the ORCID Registry, which can have significant consequences for the record-holder that extend well beyond the accepted ACM Published work.

What do I do if I have multiple ORCID IDs?

You should only have one ORCID identifier. If you have more than one ORCID ID, you may remove your extra account(s). Sign into the ORCID account that you'd like to keep and navigate to "Account settings" at the top of the page. Scroll down to "Remove duplicate record" and enter the login information for the account that you'd like to remove.

Does ACM require that I add my ACM and non-ACM works to my ORCID record after I have created and registered my ORCID?

While taking ownership of your complete ACM and non-ACM owned publication record will enable you to get the maximum benefits from having a unique identifier and ACM highly recommends that you invest the time necessary to claim your publications on the ORCID site, ACM is only requiring the creation and registration of your ORCID at this time.

How do I add works to my ORCID record?

Your ORCID record can be updated with your personal research outputs, including publications, data sets, conference presentations, and more. While it is possible to add works manually, it is recommend that you permit trusted organizations to add/update this information to add and update them for you. Allowing trusted organizations to add information to your record ensures the data connected with your ORCID iD is authoritative and trustworthy, as well as saving you time entering information manually. The organization which added the work to your record will be listed as the source of the item. While ACM does not currently support this service, we will be developing it in 2022. In the meantime, you may add your ACM works manually to your ORCID account using the guidance here https://support.orcid.org/hc/en-us/articles/360006973133.

Please write to [email protected] for additional questions.