Federal requirement: Digital persistent identifier

From: The Office of Research and Innovation and University Libraries

Federal agencies require researchers to use a digital persistent identifier — such as an ORCID iD — to clearly and consistently identify who produced funded research. Virginia Tech requests that all faculty who actively publish or apply for externally funded research connect their ORCID iD to their Elements profile by August 2026.

These steps ensure that a researcher's scholarly record is accurate, complete, and compliant with federal requirements. It takes about 10 minutes to complete the following:

1. Get an ORCID iD, then make it public
2. Connect ORCID iD to Scopus
3. Connect ORCID iD to their Elements profile
   

Faculty are also encouraged to make their Elements profile public.

Benefits to researchers:

• Simplifies maintaining updated information for new proposals (e.g., Biosketch)
• Simplifies data aggregation for reporting metrics
• Reduces administrative burden by reusing accurate researcher information across proposals, publications, and reports
• Protects researchers by ensuring accurate attribution of scholarly work and reducing misattribution, including improper authorship claims

Questions or need help? Visit this guide or email researchintel@vt.edu.