• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Connecting Researchers and Research

Sign in/Register
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Privacy Policy
  • About
        • Our Mission
          • 2025 Vision
          • ORCID Trust
          • Annual Reports
        • Team
          • ORCID Board
          • ORCID Team
          • Work with Us!
        • Services
          • Member Portal
          • Annual data files
          • Member API
          • Public API
          • ORCID Registry
        • Governance
          • Bylaws
          • Board Elections
        • Policies
          • Privacy Policy
          • Dispute Procedures
          • Public Client Terms of Service
          • Open Source Project License
          • Public Data File Use Policy
          • Terms of Use
          • Brand Guidelines
  • For Researchers
        • Benefits for Researchers
        • Researcher FAQ
        • Video Tutorials
        • Your ORCID Record
        • Get Help
  • Membership
        • Membership Benefits
          • Benefits for Funders
          • Benefits for Publishers
          • Benefits for Research Organizations
          • Benefits for Research Resources
        • Get Membership
        • Member List
        • ORCID Map
        • Membership Comparison
          • Basic Membership
          • Premium Membership
          • ORCID Consortia
        • ORCID Consortia
          • Consortia Agreement
          • Consortia Onboarding Checklist
          • Roles and Responsibilities of ORCID Consortia
  • Documentation
        • Features
          • Member Portal
          • Member API
          • Public API
          • ORCID Registry
          • Annual Data Files
        • Workflows
          • Journal Articles
          • Employment
          • Peer Review
          • Funder and Grants
          • View More
        • Integration Guide
          • Getting Started with Your Integration
          • Sandbox Testing Server
          • Registering a Member API Client
          • Integration and API FAQ
          • View More
        • API Tutorials
          • Get an Authenticated ORCID iD
          • Read Data on a Record
          • Add and Update Data on an ORCID record
          • Hands On with the ORCID API
          • View More
        • Member Portal
          • Member Portal Organization Admin Guide
          • Member Portal Email Guide
          • Member Portal Beta Program Guide
  • Resources
        • ORCID Community
        • Community Programs
          • Certified Service Providers
          • ORCID API Users Group
          • Historical Task Forces, Working Groups, and Steering Groups
        • Get Involved
          • Community Groups
          • Developers
          • Give Feedback
          • ORCID API Users Group
        • Member Resources
          • ORCID Enabled Systems
          • Publishers Open Letter
          • Funders Open Letter
          • Standard Member Agreement
          • Outreach Resources
          • Register a Sandbox API Client
          • Register a Production API Client
  • News & Events
        • News
          • ORCID News
          • Member News
          • Consortia News
          • Integration News
          • Blog
          • Product Updates
        • Events
          • Events Calendar
          • Webinars
You are here: Home / Researcher FAQ

Researcher FAQ

Click on the boxes below to find the answers to common questions asked by researchers about ORCID. If you don’t yet have an ORCID iD you can register for one for free by clicking on the following button.

Register for your ORCID iD

I am a researcher. Can I use ORCID for free?

Yes. Anyone who participates in research, scholarship, or innovation can register an ORCID iD for themselves free of charge, and you can use the same iD throughout your whole career—even if your name changes or you move to a different organization, discipline, or country.

What is my ORCID iD? / Do I already have an ORCID account?

Go to our Forgot password page, select the ORCID iD option, enter your registered email address in the email field, and select the Recover Account Details button.

We will send you an email from [email protected], letting you know your 16-digit ORCID identifier. Please see I forgot my ORCID iD, how do I recover it? for more information.

Why does my ORCID iD end with an X?

ORCID identifiers that end in X are valid and correct. 

ORCID identifiers are all randomly assigned and cannot be changed. The last character in an ORCID identifier is a checksum. It ranges in values from “0” – “10,” with X representing the value “10.” The checksum ensures the other 15 digits of your identifier form a coherent iD. 

Image showing ORCIDs one with an X

You can learn more by reading about the structure of an ORCID identifier.

I forgot my password. What can I do?

Go to our Forgot password page, select the Password option, enter your registered email address in the email field, and select the Recover Account Details button. We will send you an email from [email protected] with steps to reset your password.*

Image showing the ORCID password and ORCID ID Recovery screen

*If there is no ORCID iD associated with the email address you entered, the email you receive from us will let you know. At that point, you can try resetting your password using another one of email addresses (try both personal and professional). Please see our article on forgotten passwords for more information.

I am not getting any emails from ORCID for my password reset. What can I do?

If you do not receive any email within 10 minutes, it can mean one of three things:

  1. Our email was directed into your spam or junk folder. Please check your spam or junk folder for messages from ORCID. 
  2. The email address entered contains a typo. Please try again.
  3. Your mail administrator may have our messages blocked. Please contact us if you believe this to be the case.

I lost access to my previously registered email. What can I do?

If you remember your password, try logging in at https://orcid.org/signin using your 16-digit ORCID iD or your previous email address as your username. 

If you’ve forgotten your password AND have lost access to previously registered email, please contact us and include: 

  • Your name
  • ORCID iD(s) you think may belong to you
  • Any former email addresses you may have registered with
  • A current institutional or work email address (if possible)

This information will make it easier for us to identify potential ORCID records that may belong to you and provide you with a quicker turnaround.

Please see How can I access my ORCID record if I no longer have the email associated with it for more information. Note: To prevent this from happening in the future, we recommend adding multiple email addresses to your ORCID account.

I forgot which email address my ORCID iD is associated with. What can I do?

If you have forgotten which email address you registered your ORCID account with, please go to our Forgot password page. Select the ORCID iD option, and then enter in any email addresses you may have registered with.

We will send you an email from [email protected], letting you know your 16-digit ORCID identifier.

If the email says we could not find an ORCID iD associated with the email address, then retry the process above with your other current email addresses (both personal and professional) to recover the ORCID iD.

When you have exhausted all other options, please contact us with your full name, your 16-digit ORCID identifier, and any email addresses you may have registered for an account with. Note: To prevent this from happening in the future, we recommend adding multiple email addresses to your ORCID account.

Why should I add more than one email address to my ORCID record?

The most common issue we hear from users is the loss of access to their former email addresses registered to their accounts.

We strongly recommend adding at least one backup email address, so you can recover access to your ORCID record in case you lose access to another email.

I have a duplicate ORCID account. How can I remove it?

You can quickly and easily remove your duplicate record by going to your Account Settings and selecting Remove duplicate record. You will then be prompted to enter in the email address or ORCID iD of the duplicate record, as well as the password.

When the duplicate record is removed, the email address attached to it will be added to your primary ORCID record, and all other information on the record will be deleted.

For more information, please see removing your additional or duplicate ORCID iD.

If you no longer have access to that email account and do not recall the password, please contact us with your full name, your 16-digit ORCID identifier, and any email addresses you may have registered for an account with.

When I click on either the Register, Recover Account Details, or Save Changes button, nothing happens. What can I do?

If you are experiencing an unresponsive button issue, please make sure you are using one of our supported browsers, and that it is updated to the latest version. For more information, please see Technical requirements for using the ORCID site.

ORCID logo

CC0 The text of this website is published under a CC0 license Images and marks are subject to copyright and trademark protection.

  • About ORCID
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Contact us
  • Dispute procedures
  • Brand Guidelines