ORCID

To set up your ORCID iD record:

1. Register for your ORCID iD or log in if you already have one, and set data visibility.
2. For new and existing accounts, you can also adjust your settings to log in with your UMBC credentials. On the sign-in page, select “Access through your institution”and begin typing “University of Maryland Baltimore County” and then select it from the list. The first time you do this, you will need to log in with your ORCID credentials in order to link your accounts. Once linked, you can simply sign in with your UMBC credentials going forward. Please note that this feature is for login convenience only and will not populate your ORCID with information from any other UMBC systems.
3. Populate your data - if you have time, follow the guidance in the “Best Practices” section below, otherwise, use the “Good Enough” advice to get started.

Tips:

• The more complete information within your ORCID record is, the more it will benefit you.
• When adding institutional affiliations (employment and education), please use University of Maryland, Baltimore County (with the comma).
• When adding works to your ORCID record manually, try to always include a DOI (digital object identifier) to prevent duplicate entries if the same work is added to your ORCID record by a publisher or other trusted party later on.
• ORCID is useful for tracking all manner of contributions in all disciplines, not just publications and not just in the sciences. For example, when adding a work to an ORCID record, there is an option specifically for "Artistic/Performance" and “Data Management Plan.”

Good Enough:

• On the left side of your ORCID record, add identifying information to the following fields:
  • Also known as - you may include other names you have used professionally, including prior names and versions of your name with and without middle initials, or just the first initial for your first name.
  • Country - input your current country of residence
  • Email address - add at least one additional email address to your record in case you need to recover your account. Email addresses are set to “private visibility” by default in ORCID.
• In the main column of your ORCID record, ensure that data is populated for:
  • Your most recent employment - For UMBC, please use University of Maryland, Baltimore County (with the comma).
  • Your most recent education - For UMBC, please use University of Maryland, Baltimore County (with the comma).
  • Funding - if you have received any grant funding, you can use the “Search & Link” wizard in the funding section to search for and add your grants. Note that future grant funders might be able to write funding information to your ORCID record for you if you provide them with your ORCID iD.
  • Works - there are a number of different ways you can add works to your ORCID record. We recommend starting out with the “Search and Find” function to load your works from BASE and other databases. Works can include publications, presentations, blogs, artwork, performances, data management plans, and any other type of deliverable. Add as much data as you can. Note that future publishers might be able to write works information to your ORCID record for you if you provide them with your ORCID iD.

Best Practice:

In addition to the Good Enough elements of an ORCID record, we also recommend adding identifying information to the following fields:

• Keywords - words or phrases that describe your research activities
• Websites - other websites that contain information about you and your work

In the main column of your ORCID record, we also recommend ensuring that data is populated for:

• Biography - a brief statement or paragraph about you, your career, and research interests
• Qualifications - enter any additional qualifications or certifications that might not already be included in your education information
• Invited Positions - enter any invited, non-employment affiliations
• Distinctions - enter any distinctions or awards that you have received
• Memberships - enter any memberships in organizations that you belong to
• Service - enter any service or volunteer work you have done



You can learn more about the benefits of participating in ORCID through our LibGuide and from the Office of Sponsored Projects at UMBC.

If you have questions, please contact your department’s liaison librarian or Michelle Flinchbaugh (flinchba@umbc.edu), Digital Scholarship Services Librarian.