From: "Meadows, Alice" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2016 20:37:07 +0000

EMBARGOED TILL 9.00AM GMT, JANUARY 7, 2016

Publishers to Require ORCID Identifiers for Authors

A group of seven publishers today announced that, during 2016, they
will begin requiring authors to use an ORCID identifier (iD) during
the publication process. The American Geophysical Union (AGU), eLife,
EMBO, Hindawi, the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
(IEEE), and the Public Library of Science (PLOS) will join the Royal
Society – which already (as of January 1, 2016) requires its authors
to include iDs at submission – in making this commitment.

ORCID iDs are persistent identifiers for people. Using an ORCID iD
ensures that researchers can be easily and correctly connected with
their research activities, outputs, and affiliations. Over 200
research platforms and workflow systems collect and connect iDs from
researchers: grant application and publishing systems, association
management systems, and university CRIS and other research information
systems.

Over 1.8 million researchers globally have registered for an iD,
understanding the value a digital name provides in enhancing
discoverability and reducing their reporting paperwork.  Some funders
have started to require ORCID iDs as part of the grant proposal
process, and in a recent survey researchers indicated strong support
for similar requirements by publishers.

According to Mark Patterson, Executive Director of eLife, one of the
three original organizations behind this initiative: “There is a
pressing need to improve the way researchers are evaluated. ORCID
helps by providing a unique ID for an individual which makes it easier
for researchers to gain recognition for all of their research
contributions. eLife is very happy to be part of this initiative aimed
at encouraging broader adoption of ORCID.”

Veronique Kiermer, Executive Editor of PLOS, another of the original
organizations, adds: “PLOS is committed to providing due credit to all
researchers who contribute to the work we publish and we see ORCID as
an essential means to achieve this.”

While Stuart Taylor, Publishing Director at the Royal Society - the
third organization - says:

“We recognize the great potential value of ORCID to the research
system. We believe that publishers have a key role in promoting
systems that provide support to researchers and to science.”

Laure Haak, Executive Director of ORCID, also welcomes this
initiative: “This action by publishers will help improve
discoverability - and ultimately recognition - for researchers, and
also means that publishers will use best practice for implementing
ORCID: a win for everyone.”

ABOUT ORCID:

ORCID (http://orcid.org) is a community-driven non-profit organization
that aims to solve the name ambiguity problem in research and
scholarly communications.  ORCID maintains a central registry of
unique identifiers for individual researchers and provides open and
transparent processes for connecting ORCID iDs with persistent
identifiers for people, organizations, and research activities and
outputs.  Connecting these identifiers can improve the research and
scholarly discovery process, reduce reporting burdens, increase the
efficiency of research funding, and support sharing and collaboration
within the research community.  For more information contact Laurel
Haak, ORCID Executive Director, at [log in to unmask]


Alice Meadows
Director of Communications, ORCID
[log in to unmask]
orcid.org/0000-0003-2161-3781