You can find an author's ORCID by checking the published paper itself (usually near the author's name or in the author information section), searching the ORCID registry directly at orcid.org, or looking up the author's profile on their institutional website or academic platforms like Google Scholar.
Check the Published Paper
Most journals now require or encourage authors to include their ORCID iD in published articles. Look for a small green icon (🆔) or a 16-digit identifier (formatted like 0000-0002-1234-5678) next to the author's name in the paper's header, footer, or author contribution section. Open-access journals and major publishers (Springer, Elsevier, Wiley) typically display ORCIDs prominently.
Search the ORCID Registry
Visit orcid.org and use the search bar to look up the author by name. Because names can be common or spelled differently across publications, refine your search by adding their institutional affiliation, research area, or known co-authors. The ORCID registry is public and free to search, and each researcher's profile lists their publications, employment history, and other verified information they've chosen to share.
Check Academic Profiles and Institutional Pages
Many researchers list their ORCID on their university faculty page, personal website, or academic networking profiles like ResearchGate or LinkedIn. Google Scholar profiles sometimes include ORCIDs in the "About" section. If you're already using a reference manager or research platform, some tools automatically pull ORCID data when you import papers—WisPaper's My Library, for example, extracts author metadata including ORCIDs when you upload PDFs, making it easier to track and organize work by specific researchers.
Why ORCID Matters
ORCID helps distinguish researchers with similar names and ensures proper attribution across name changes, institutions, and publication venues. It's especially useful when tracking prolific authors, verifying authorship for citation purposes, or building collaboration networks. If an author doesn't have a public ORCID or hasn't linked it to their publications, you may need to contact them directly or rely on institutional identifiers.
