“ORCID spells out structure of 16-digit identifier

ORCID, an international, interdisciplinary, open and not-for-profit organisation, recently revealed information on what an ORCID identifier looks like.

The ORCID ID is a 16-digit number that is compatible with the ISO Standard (ISO 27729), also known as the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI). Initially, ORCID IDs will be randomly assigned by the ORCID Registry from a block of numbers that will not conflict with ISNI-formatted numbers assigned in other ways. ORCID IDs always need all 16-digits – they cannot be shortened to remove leading zeros if they exist.

Only the ORCID Registry will assign ORCID IDs, either through the ORCID website, or the related APIs. ORCID IDs are intended to be assigned to individuals, and may be secured at no charge. The IDs will be assigned randomly from a block of numbers reserved for this purpose. (Initially IDs will be assigned between 0000-0001-5000-0000 and 0000-0003-5000-000X).

ORCID IDs will be expressed as an HTTP URI. The number will be proceeded by ‘http://orcid.org/‘. A hyphen will be inserted every 4 digits to aid readability, though if the hyphens are removed, the number still refers to the same ORCID ID.”

Source:  Knowledgespeak Newsletter 8/9/12