The HKU Scholars Hub: Author IDs

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Author IDs

Correct author attribution with a unique Author ID helps distinguish a researcher from others with the same or a similar name.  The most prominent author IDs include ORCID, SCOPUS Author ID, and Publons.  The IDs facilitate researchers to:

• Get credit for their scholarly work
• Embed the IDs in the research ecosystem from manuscript submission to indexes such as SCOPUS and Web of Science
• Report their work to funders, publishers, and institutions
• Repurpose the data for use in CV generation, annual reports, faculty websites, and other systems

Below outlines the major author IDs and how to better manage the accounts.

1.  ORCID

An ORCID iD is a persistent unique identifier that follows an individual throughout their career, and looks something like this: “http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2164-3964”.  One can register for an ORCID account.  ORCID records hold information including name, email, organization, and research outputs such as publications, grants, patents, and other scholarly works.  For more information, please visit the ORCID website.

The ORCID / HKU ResearcherPage Synchronization facilitates HKU researchers more easily manage ORCID.  Using the ORCID API, researchers with ResearcherPages in The HKU Scholars Hub can claim ORCID and populate the ORCID with data from the ResearcherPage.  There are two procedures:

1. Connect ORCID to your ResearcherPage
2. Set ORCID profile visibility to public

2.  SCOPUS Author ID

In the SCOPUS database, researchers are automatically assigned a SCOPUS ID, and looks something like this: “7003282240”.  Name variations, however, often result in multiple IDs for a single author.  As such, researchers who wish to merge SCOPUS Author profiles under a single unique ID can “Request to merge authors”.  For more information, please visit “SCOPUS: Profile and content corrections Support Center”. 

Using the SCOPUS API, bibliometrics of SCOPUS publications listed under each ResearcherPage will be displayed. The metrics include Document Count, Total Citations, h-Index, and Co-authors.  Researchers can hide or unhide the data.  To do this, go to Edit Researcher Page > Edit Bibliometrics.

3.  Web of Science ResearcherID (Publons)

In 2019, ResearcherID migrated to Publons, which not only tracks researchers’ publications and citation metrics but also peer reviews and journal editing work.  A ResearcherID looks something like this: “J-6649-2019”.  To build a new Publons profile, one can import publications from the Web of Science, ORCID, or a bibliographic reference manager (e.g. EndNote or Mendeley).  Publons profile can generate more accurate citation metrics based on the claimed publication list in Web of Science.  To ensure bibliometrics are up-to-date and accurate, researchers are advised to regularly maintain and update the publication list in their profile.