SPE is adopting ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributer ID), a widely accepted unique identifier for authors, giving them control over their content and eliminating ambiguities. All SPE contributors will be required to have an ORCID iD starting 1 January, 2023.

What is an ORCID iD and Why is it Important?

What is an ORCID iD?

The ORCID iD (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is one of scholarly publishing’s most accepted and widely used unique author identifiers. It is used across numerous publishers.

An ORCID iD is a simple numerical identifier (e.g. 0000-0001-6479-5330). Each researcher/author should have only one ORCID iD, which will stay the same over their lifetime.

Anyone can register an ORCID iD for themselves for free using a simple online registration form on the orcid.org website. The initial process takes less than 2 minutes. Once created SPE members can also add their ORCID iD to their SPE member profile.

Why is it important?

Your ORCID iD:

distinguishes you and ensures your research outputs and activities are correctly attributed to you
reliably and easily connects you with your contributions and affiliations
reduces form-filling (enter data once, re-use it often)
improves recognition and discoverability for you and your research outputs
is interoperable (works with many institutions, funders, and publishers)
is persistent (enduring)

As the author you control the visibility of each piece of data in your ORCID record. You can adjust visibility to make your work discoverable—or keep some things private or shared only with your trusted organizations. It’s up to you!

Why is SPE mandating authors have an ORCID iD?

An ORCID iD on each paper for every author enables SPE to create disambiguation between two authors with the same name, ensuring that credit for a publication is given to the correct author. Also, in case of name changes (e.g. marriage), it facilitates linking papers together. Over time, SPE has also changed how we present author names on papers (last name first, initials only, etc.); the ORCID iD helps ensure the correct author gets credit for the work regardless of their listed name on the paper.
Starting in January 2023, the SPE Board has stipulated that all authors and coauthors for SPE conference and journal articles must have an ORCID ID. If a coauthor refuses to provide his ORCID iD. The only remedy is to drop the coauthor as author.
For peer-review journals, coauthors will need to sign into their account (instructions here) and add their ORCID iD in their user profile.

How do I get an ORCID iD?

1. Go to orcid.org/register to sign up for a new ORCID iD.

2. The system will verify that you do not already have an ORCID iD before issuing you a new one. You will also be asked to verify your email address by following a link sent to the email that you provide.

3. Once your ORCID iD is registered, you can add information to your profile including your social sites, employment history, and published works.

4. Add your ORCID iD to your SPE member profile. After signing in to your SPE.org account go to your “profile” page. Under the “Personalize your Account” section select ORCID iD. If you have not already registered an ORCID iD, you can do so through your member profile.

5. Sign in to your ORCID account and select “Authorize Access” to add your verified ORCID iD to your member profile. Going forward, authorship in any published SPE conference or journal papers will by automatically updated within your ORCID record.

4. Add your ORCID iD to your SPE member profile. After signing in to your SPE.org account go to your “profile” page. Under the “Personalize your Account” section select ORCID iD. If you have not already registered an ORCID iD, you can do so here.