ORCID and Researcher Identity in Scientist Rankings

Researchers may publish under different spellings, initials, alphabets or family names. Two unrelated people may share the same name. Automated aggregation that relies only on text can merge separate careers or divide one career into disconnected records.

An ORCID iD is a persistent identifier assigned to an individual researcher. It helps connect scholarship across platforms when records are correctly linked. It does not certify the quality of the research, and a public ORCID alone is not evidence that every attributed publication is correct.

Identifiers, claimed accounts, reliable publication metadata and explicit institutional relationships can support identity resolution. A ranking should distinguish documented identity evidence from uncertain name matches and provide a correction route for disputed attributions.

Maintain a consistent ORCID record, link publications using publisher-supported workflows and check that affiliations are represented accurately. Before sharing a ranking position, review the underlying outputs and report any mistaken identities.