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Academic Researcher Profiles

An overview of several researcher profiles

What is a Persistent Digital Identifier?

A persistent digital identifier (PDI) or permanent identifier is a univocal way to identify a researcher, for example in a database or in an institutional repository.

You should create a persistent digital identifier:

  • to avoid confusion of names,
  • to associate your publications with your profile,
  • to manage your publication list,
  • to use it as a promotion tool in order to make your research outputs more visible,
  • to access the metrics of your publications,
  • to save time by not having to enter information multiple times. (Possibility to extract your references),
  • to ensure compliance with certain research granting agencies/publishers requirements

Researcher Identifiers

ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a non-profit organisation (independent of publishers or databases)

It provides a free unique persistent digital identifier

Keep in mind:

  • It is free and available to any researcher in any discipline
  • It can be used by publishers, universities, repositories, research societies, funding agencies, etc.
  • ORCID users can manage their own visibility settings
  • You can link your ORCID ID to other IDs like Scopus Author ID, ResearcherID on Publons, etc.
  • ORCID does not offer metrics but you can connect your ID to Kudos and ImpactStory to generate your personal metrics profile

 

What is ORCID? from ORCID on Vimeo.

 Web of Science Researcher ID on Publons - Free tool provided by Clarivate Analytics (owner of Web of Science)

  • Online user profile (user privacy control)
  • Collaboration with other researchers possible
  • Publications missing from Web of Science must be recorded manually
  • Publication list
  • Citation metrics (possibility to know which authors have cited you, total times cited, h-index based on Web of Science)
  • Customizable reports for funding and promotion applications
  • Possibility to link your Web of Science ResearcherID with your ORCID ID to can easily export your publication list to ORCID.

 

Scopus Author ID provided by Elsevier

Keep in mind:

The following selection of social networks or platforms gives you the possibility to create profiles that are not persistent digital identifiers. They are tools that allow you to increase your visibility:

Google Scholar citations 

  • Your profile is private and visible only to you until and unless you make it public
  • Citation metrics
  • Users can "Follow" you and receive notifications of your new publications

 

  &

  • Academic for-profit social networking platforms
  • Share research papers
  • Follow other researchers
  • Metrics on your profile and papers (number of views of your publications or profile)
  • Possibility to link your Academia profile to your ORCID

  • Open access digital repository, but it can also be used as a researcher profile
  • Store your research (privately until you choose to make it public)
  • Share your research (possibility to share privately)
  • Allows you to publicise your research outputs
  • Access to collaborative spaces
  • Metrics (item views, item downloads, citations)
  • Get a DOI for your work
  • Possibility to synchronize it with ORCID

 

Mendeley (Elsevier)

 

 

  • Open-access online preprint community which offers an SSRN Author homepage for authors with publications indexed in the SSRN eLibrary
  • Interact with other researchers
  • Metrics (number of citations and downloads)
  • Possibility to link your SSRN profile to your ORCID