We've recently updated ORCID'S Privacy Policy to be simple to understand and easy to navigate. We invite you to read it here.

Connecting research and researchers

You are here: Home / Documentation / Workflows / Search and Link Wizards

Search and Link Wizards

“Search and link wizards” are member integrations that help researchers discover and connect with their activities from within their ORCID record.  A list of wizards is displayed in the relevant section of the record when a researcher is logged in. They can then select the most appropriate wizard(s) to use (for example, by discipline or language) for adding items to their record.  

This workflow details how ORCID members can create a search and link wizard to include in the ORCID Registry.  It describes the purpose of a wizard, how it interacts with users and the API, and the approval and launch process.

Search and link wizards are tools embedded directly within the ORCID Registry user interface, which can be used by researchers to connect information to their records. The researcher selects a wizard, and is asked to grant the wizard host (an ORCID member) permission to access and update their record. The researcher is then redirected to a page on the member’s website, where they are led through a discovery process. Once this is completed, the member organization updates the researcher’s record with information from their system. Typically, the member will retain the permissions granted, so that they can continue to update the researchers record over time as new information becomes available. This can mean adding new items to the researcher’s ORCID record, or updating previously added items.

Note that organizations wishing to add a search and link wizard to the Registry must be premium members.

Seeing the source of information in an ORCID record is an important way of building trust in that information. For search and link wizards, the source of information about the item (work or funding) is the member — the search and link wizard host.  However, the researcher is the source of the connection between the item and their record. We want source information to be transparent and available to anyone reading an ORCID record so, items added by search and link wizards show the source as “researcher name via wizard name” to make it clear how the item was added to the record. Learn more about the source of information on ORCID records in “Where can I see the source of information on my record?”

Is my integration suitable?

Depending on your answers to the questions below, your integration may be a suitable candidate for search and link — please contact us to discuss this further before starting to develop a search and link wizard. 

  • What is the target audience for the wizard? For example, authors, reviewers, or grant applicants at the national, disciplinary, or global level
  • Roughly how large is the expected audience?
  • Will it serve a population currently underserved by existing wizards? For example, research contributions in a specific language or discipline, or that are of a novel type
  • How will you ensure that the wizard provides a good user experience?
  • What user support will you be providing?
  • Is there — or will there be — an ORCID point person at your organization, such as a product manager, for the wizard?
  • How will you ensure that ORCID iDs are authenticated?
  • Do you — or will you — ingest and display ORCID iDs on your platform?
  • Is your platform search enabled by iDs?

Workflow

Unlike other integration types, the user journey for a search and link wizard starts within the ORCID Registry, rather than in a member site. However, the components of the integration are the same: authenticate and connect (required), display (if applicable), collect and synchronize (optional).

The high-level workflow is as follows:

  • Researcher signs in to the ORCID Registry to curate their record.
  • They select the search and link option, browse the available list of wizards, and select the appropriate one.
  • ORCID asks the researcher to authenticate their iD, and to grant the search and link wizard’s organization permission to interact with their record. This step happens only once for each search and link wizard the researcher uses. 
  • The researcher is redirected to a search and link wizard landing page created by the member organization, with an OAuth authentication response. For more on how this works refer to our technical documentation.
  • The researcher is led through a discovery process, which takes different forms — researcher or member driven, or a mix of both — depending on the member and service provided. For example, they may be asked to search an index and confirm items that match their details. 
  • The researcher selects, supplements, and confirms their items. 
  • The member uses the ORCID API and the permissions the researcher has granted to connect the items to the researcher’s iD and update the researcher’s ORCID record. For technical information, please see our tutorial on adding works to an ORCID record.
  • The member includes a link between the ORCID iD and the item in their own system, displaying the connection in the appropriate pages. For example, if there is a web page containing a journal article that a researcher has claimed, then the ID is displayed alongside this.
  • (Optional) The member uses the ORCID API to add and connect persistent person identifiers with the researcher’s ORCID iD., for example, from a profile within their system. (technical tutorial).
  • (Optional) The member collects information from the researcher’s ORCID record and uses it to supplement and enhance information in their own system(s). For technical information, please see our tutorial on Reading from the API.
  • (Optional) The member retains the ORCID iD and associated permissions to perform future updates to the researcher’s record as they become available, synchronizing the two systems.
  • (Optional) The member redirects the researcher back to the ORCID Registry – https://orcid.org/my-orcid.
  • The selected items now appear in the researcher’s record

In addition to the regular review process by your ORCID Engagement Team lead, wizards must also undergo additional testing before they are released to end users. In most cases we recommend first building a standard integration, and then developing it further to meet the search and link requirements. If you have an active integration that can import works into the ORCID Registry, please contact us and we can work with you to add it to the ORCID Search & Link Wizard list.

In cases where a standard integration isn’t possible because there is no existing user touchpoint, it may be appropriate to build a standalone wizard. Please contact us to discuss this further.