title: Systematic and open identification of researchers and authors: focus on open researcher and contributor ID.
abstract: Unique identifiers of researchers and authors can help all stakeholders of scientific communications improve their workflows. There have been several attempts to establish professional networks of scholars and list their scholarly achievements on digital platforms. Some of these platforms such as Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge and PubMed are searched to pick relevant peer reviewers, assess authors' publication history or choose suitable candidates for research and academic projects. However, each of these hubs has its specific applications, limiting the universal use for permanent tagging of researcher profiles. The Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) initiative, launched in 2012, is aimed at registering scholarly contributors and averting the persistent ambiguity of recorded author names. The ORCID registry is growing fast and integrating with other ID-generating platforms, thereby increasing the functionality of the integrated systems. ORCID identifiers are increasingly used for selecting peer reviewers and acknowledging various scholarly contributions (e.g., published articles, reviewer comments, conference presentations). The initiative offers unique opportunities for transparent disclosures of author contributions and competing interests and improving ethical standards of research, editing, and publishing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Research and Development, Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (A Teaching Trust of the University of Birmingham, UK), Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, West Midlands, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Armen Yuri
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8749-6018
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Gasparyan
authors.affiliation: Department of Internship and Residency for General Practitioners N3, Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Nurbek A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Akazhanov
authors.affiliation: Department of Marketing and Trade Deals, Kuban State University, Krasnodar, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Voronov
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Research and Development, Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (A Teaching Trust of the University of Birmingham, UK), Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, West Midlands, United Kingdom. ; Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kitas
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D017712:Peer Review, Research; D012042:Registries; D012108:Research Personnel; D060756:Social Networking
keywords: Author Identifier; Editing; ORCID; Peer Review; Research management; Science Communication