ORCID pilot project update

The two-year pilot project exploring a campus-wide approach to implementing the use of Open Researcher and Contributor Identifiers (ORCID) has reached a midway point. 

Focusing on a small group of the campus community (PhD students and post-doctoral researchers), the project has been working to identify key workflows that will allow staff to support researchers using ORCID’s Affiliation Tool. This tool allows researchers to accept a trusted organization to add research information to their ORCID record, saving them time to focus on their research.  

To date, 44% of PhD students and 57% of post-doctoral researchers have signed up for an ORCID and affiliated their account with the University of Waterloo. Through workshops and information sessions, we’re receiving positive feedback from researchers on the benefits of ORCID.  

ORCID is continuing to grow, integrating further into the research data lifecycle. Both Scopus and GitHub now allow for connection with ORCID. Works indexed on Scopus will auto-populate on ORCID records while the integration with GitHub ensures researchers are credited with their less traditional research outputs. 

Since launching the pilot project, more journals and publishers are requiring an ORCID with manuscript submissions, including SAGE Publications, IEEE and Science journals.  

Grants and funders are also starting to recommend or require an ORCID as part of the application submission. The Fonds de recherche du Quebec (FRC) already requires an ORCID while both the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) joined the ORCID Canada Consortium last year, indicating their general support for ORCID. 

Waterloo’s ORCID pilot project will continue with outreach and engagement efforts through the fall 2025 term, with a final report to be shared in winter 2026. Further information on the project is available on the Libraries’ website: ORCID pilot project page and library guide to sign up for an ORCID and link your Scopus account. Questions can be directed to the Libraries’ Research Intelligence Project Analyst.