Campus-wide ORCID pilot project concludes

The two-year pilot project exploring the campus-wide implementation of Open Researcher and Contributor Identifiers (ORCID) will officially conclude in early 2026.

Launched in 2024, the initiative was led by the Libraries with support from the Office of Research and Graduate Studies and Post-doctoral Affairs. The project focused on PhD students and post-doctoral researchers, aiming to identify key workflows that enable staff to better identify the work of Waterloo researchers, using the ORCID affiliation tool. This tool allows researchers to authorize a trusted organization to add research information to their ORCID record, saving them time and streamlining their research activities. 

As the pilot wraps up, 60% of all PhD and post-doctoral researchers have signed up for an ORCID and affiliated their account with the University of Waterloo. 

Throughout the project, workshops and information sessions generated positive feedback and lots of discussion of its potential uses beyond stated benefits to improve researcher workflows.

Although the pilot is ending, there is still much work that can be done to make accurately identifying researchers and their output easier. ORCID and the demonstrated value of the affiliation tool suggest that adoption across campus will continue to grow. Several faculties have already reached out to the Libraries for support in integrating ORCID into their systems. Nationally, NSERC and SSHRC have incorporated ORCID into one of their grant funding platforms, reflecting broader support across the research community.

For more information, visit Libraries’ ORCID pilot project webpage and library guide to sign up for an ORCID and instructions on how to link your Scopus account. Questions can be directed to the Libraries’ Research Intelligence Project Analyst.