For many researchers, their first encounter with ORCID is seeing a green iD icon beside an author’s name in a journal article. As more publishers integrate ORCID into publication systems, and some requiring ORCID in publication workflows, more researchers are encountering iDs as they submit their work. At the same time, we have been receiving more requests from publishers about appropriate display of ORCID iDs in published works.
In July 2016, we formed a community working group on the display of ORCID iDs in articles to review and update our existing display guidelines. The working group has collected questions, recommendations, and use cases from the community, taking into consideration that styles and spacing concerns will differ between publishers, journals, and individual articles. We are now releasing the draft guidelines in an open Google document for public comment. Following the public comment period, the working group will review and, as appropriate, incorporate feedback and release the final guidelines.
The draft guidelines set three clear goals: to help promote the use of ORCID iDs by authors by increasing visibility in the publishing process; to provide clear display options to support consistency in implementation and use; and to provide criteria so publishers can assess display effectiveness.
iDs must be clearly associated with their respective authors. The iD display should always include an active hyperlink to the ORCID URI. The guidelines encourage that ORCID iDs be included with Crossref submissions (which, in turn, allows researchers to benefit from automated updates to their ORCID record) and in CrossMark deposits. Finally, they also give recommendations on the display of ORCID iDs in hyper-authored articles – those with 50 or more authors.
There are two specific areas where the guidelines would benefit from community feedback:
- Display effectiveness assessment: What is effective iD display, and how should publishers measure it? Is it clearly marking the ORCID iD in some form? Providing a full display of the iD icon and https(s) URI, both hyperlinked? Displaying the iD in all forms – html, pdf, and in metadata? Should display be assessed in tiers based on a combination of elements?
- Encouragement of HTTPS: ORCID is moving toward the use of HTTPS when displaying iDs for more secure browsing. While we haven’t yet made this change, we recognize that it would be a significant change for those organizations using ORCID APIs. The HTTP display is the version most commonly used by publishers and others when displaying ORCID iDs – particularly in the metadata deposited in Crossref. Your input on challenges this change would cause for your organization or community would be very helpful.
We invite you to submit your comments, questions, and concerns in the shared Google document or by email to community@orcid.org. The open period for input is February 10 – March 31, 2017. We look forward to hearing from you!
