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Understanding ORCID adoption among academic researchers

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen R. Porter

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Paul D. Umbach

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Chris Willis

    (North Carolina State University)

Abstract

Just over a decade ago, the ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier) was created to provide a unique digital identifier for researchers around the world. The ORCID has proven essential in identifying individual researchers and their publications, both for bibliometric research analyses and for universities and other organizations tracking the research productivity and impact of their personnel. Yet widespread adoption of the ORCID by individual researchers has proved elusive, with previous studies finding adoption rates ranging from 3% to 42%. Using a national survey of U.S. academic researchers at 31 research universities, we investigate why some researchers adopt an ORCID and some do not. We found an overall adoption rate of 72%, with adoptions rates ranging between academic disciplines from a low of 17% in the visual and performing arts to a high of 93% in biological and biomedical sciences. Many academic journals require an ORCID to submit a manuscript, and this is the main reason why researchers adopt an ORCID. The top three reasons for not having an ORCID are not seeing the benefits, being far enough in the academic career to not need it, and working in an academic discipline where it is not needed.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen R. Porter & Paul D. Umbach & Chris Willis, 2025. "Understanding ORCID adoption among academic researchers," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 130(5), pages 2783-2797, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:130:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s11192-025-05300-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-025-05300-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jinseok Kim & Jason Owen-Smith, 2021. "ORCID-linked labeled data for evaluating author name disambiguation at scale," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(3), pages 2057-2083, March.
    2. Valeria Aman, 2018. "Does the Scopus author ID suffice to track scientific international mobility? A case study based on Leibniz laureates," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 117(2), pages 705-720, November.
    3. Jan Youtie & Stephen Carley & Alan L. Porter & Philip Shapira, 2017. "Tracking researchers and their outputs: new insights from ORCIDs," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 113(1), pages 437-453, October.
    4. Gomez, Charles J. & Herman, Andrew C. & Parigi, Paolo, 2020. "Moving more, but closer: Mapping the growing regionalization of global scientific mobility using ORCID," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3).
    5. Viju Raghupathi & Jie Ren & Wullianallur Raghupathi, 2023. "Exploring the Nature and Dimensions of Scientific Mobility: Insights From ORCID Database - A Visualization Approach," International Journal of Technology Diffusion (IJTD), IGI Global, vol. 14(1), pages 1-31, January.
    6. Christophe Boudry & Manuel Durand-Barthez, 2020. "Use of author identifier services (ORCID, ResearcherID) and academic social networks (Academia.edu, ResearchGate) by the researchers of the University of Caen Normandy (France): A case study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(9), pages 1-16, September.
    7. repec:plo:pone00:0120495 is not listed on IDEAS
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