Researcher identifiers
A researcher identifier is a unique, permanent alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies a researcher and assigns to them the outputs (publications, datasets, research projects, etc.) of which they are the author.
The researcher identifier has several advantages:
- it avoids the frequent confusion caused by homonyms;
- it associates the different identities with which the researcher identifies themselves or signs their publications: surname with one or more initials of the first name, name change...;
- it links together the products of the researcher's activity that are found in different sources of information;
- it avoids researchers having to re-enter information about themselves (such as publication references) in their profiles created in the various databases they use, by enabling them to export and import references from one database to another if they are interconnected;
- it constitutes a unique key that makes it easier to search for information in databases that have adopted this identifier.
There are several types of researcher identifiers: ORCID iD, idHAL, ResearcherID, IdRef, Scopus Author Identifier, etc.