When you submit a paper, upload a thesis or apply for an incentive, one of the first required fields you meet is your ORCID number. So what exactly is this 16-digit number, why is it asked for everywhere, and why is it mandatory in Türkiye? This guide explains, in plain terms, what ORCID is for, how to get one free, and what to do after you have it.
What is ORCID, and why does it exist?
ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a permanent, unique digital identity for each researcher. It looks like this: 0000-0002-1825-0097. Its purpose is to solve a simple but critical problem: name confusion.
In academia there can be hundreds of researchers with the same name; names can also be written differently due to marriage, transliteration (e.g. "Ö" → "O") or abbreviation. In that case it becomes unclear who a publication really belongs to, and citations can go to the wrong person. ORCID removes this confusion by gathering all your publications, citations, projects and thesis supervisions under a single identity.
Behind the scenes, ORCID integrates with international databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Crossref and PubMed, as well as national systems such as YÖKSİS and TÜBİTAK ARBİS — so once set up correctly, your identity follows you everywhere.
Is it mandatory in Türkiye?
Yes. By the YÖK Executive Board's decision of 13 May 2020, using an ORCID number is mandatory for academic staff and students enrolled in thesis-track graduate programmes. This requirement covers:
- Graduate theses — ORCID is required when registering with the YÖK National Thesis Center.
- Publications — ORCID is used to track articles, proceedings, books and all scientific output.
- TR Dizin — authors' ORCIDs are requested on submission to TR Dizin journals.
So in Türkiye ORCID isn't merely "nice to have"; it's a prerequisite of thesis and publication processes. Together with what TR Dizin is, it's a core part of the national academic infrastructure.
Step by step: how to get an ORCID
Getting an ORCID is free and takes a few minutes. There are two routes:
- Directly at orcid.org: click "Sign in / Register" at the top right → "Register now", enter your first name, last name and email → verify your email. Your number is created instantly.
- Via YÖK Akademik (for academics): from the Personal Information page of the YÖK Akademik system, you can create your number by setting a password for ORCID; this route makes matching with YÖKSİS easier.
Tip: create your ORCID once and use a single account. Accidentally opening a second ORCID (a duplicate) splits your publications across two identities, and merging them later is a hassle.
After you get it: fill in your profile
Getting the number is the first step; the real value comes from filling in the profile:
- Link your publications — use the "search & link" tools of Crossref, Scopus and Web of Science to import your works into your ORCID automatically. You don't have to add them one by one.
- Connect your identifiers — link your Scopus Author ID and Web of Science ResearcherID to your ORCID, so your citations reach the right you.
- Add education and employment, and set visibility to public.
A completed ORCID profile is the most basic step toward increasing your academic visibility and citations; together with authorship order and corresponding author information, it formally records who a contribution belongs to.
Tying the process to practice
ORCID is one of the first pieces of information requested when you submit your paper to a journal — but submission success starts with choosing the right journal. Peerfect's free journal recommendation engine puts journals matching your paper's scope in front of you; with your ORCID ready and your profile filled in, you handle the identity side of submission in one go.
In short: ORCID is the permanent address of your academic identity. In Türkiye it's mandatory, it's free, and it takes minutes to get; but it delivers its real benefit once you complete the profile and link your publications. Set it up right once, use it for life.
Sources: ORCID Requirement and the YÖK National Thesis Center — Çukurova University SBE, About Obtaining an ORCID Number — Gazi University FBE, info.orcid.org. ORCID is free for individual researchers; the scope of the requirement is defined in the YÖK decision and institutional directives.