Increase research visibility

An ORCID® iD is a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from every other researcher. Having a unique identifier ensures that the bibliometric data about you and your body of work is accurate and correctly linked to your researcher profile. It also improves the visibility of the research. Find out why researchers value having an ORCID in this video:

Register for an ORCID identifier

You need to register for an ORCID identifier. Leeds staff and students can do this through:

• ORCID's website
• Symplectic (University publications database) – go to “My Actions”, select “Add ORCID” and register your details.

Get step-by-step guidance to create and connect ORCID iDs through Symplectic (PDF)

If you require help with any of the University systems, please contact the IT service desk.

How do I link my ORCID identifier to University systems?

The University would like you to link your ORCID identifier to your Symplectic profile.

To link from Symplectic, go to “Add ORCID”, select “Re-connect your ORCID iD”, enter your username and password and select “Allow this permission until I revoke it”.

Symplectic will treat your ORCID account as a source of publications data, and the presence of an ORCID identifier will lead to improved auto-claiming of publications for you. However, you should continue to manually add details of all newly accepted outputs to Symplectic to meet REF open access requirements.

For more information about how the University may use your ORCiD iD see Symplectic and data protection.

Why should I use an ORCID identifier?

Having an ORCID identifier can be particularly useful in overcoming problems with:

• inconsistent name formats
• legal name changes
• very similar names
• common names.

You can include your ORCID identifier in the author details of new articles that you publish and also link previously published work to your ORCID profile. It can also be transferred with you if you move to a different institution by simply updating your affiliation and contact details on your ORCID profile page.

The University publications policy (PDF) requires researchers to register for an ORCID identifier. It is also a requirement for any grant applications to the Wellcome Trust and NIHR. Other funders such as RCUK recommend their use. From 2016 the University will be asked for ORCID identifiers in HESA returns.

Further Help

The ORCID Help Center has further guidance about how to manage your online ORCID account. You can also watch an ORCID training video.