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Set Up the ORCID Plugin

To use the plugin, you will first need to obtain either Public or Member ORCID API credentials (Client ID and Client Secret) and then configure the ORCID plugin in OJS/OPS with this information.

This chapter explains how to obtain production (live) credentials and add them to the ORCID plugin in your OJS/OPS. You can also test the plugin with Sandbox credentials first before using the live credentials. For details on how to test in the Sandbox and why you may want to, see the Appendix: Testing the ORCID Sandbox chapter.

IMPORTANT: do not enable the plugin until you have the credentials and are ready to setup the plugin.

Request Public API credentials #

1. Register for an ORCID iD #

ORCID iD registration is free and only requires your name and email.

If you already have an ORCID iD, skip to 2. Sign into your ORCID iD.

  1. Navigate to the ORCID website
  2. Click on the SIGN IN / REGISTER menu on the top right ORCID homepage with sign in / register button pointed out.
  3. Create an account with your email or sign in with your institutional account (if your institution is set up for ORCID single sign on). ORCID sign in page with an emphasis on registration option.
  4. If you need further registration guidance, the Register your ORCID page contains detailed step-by-step instructions.

2. Sign into your ORCID iD #

  1. Navigate to the ORCID website
  2. Click on the SIGN IN / REGISTER menu on the top right
  3. Sign in with your existing email account or via your institutional credentials (if your institution is set up for ORCID single sign on)

ORCID sign in page with email or ORCID iD and password fields emphasized.

3. Navigate to Developer Tools #

Click your name on the top right and select “Developer Tools” from the drop-down.

ORCID record with account name dropdown expanded and Developer Tools selected.

4. Select to register for the Public API #

Click on the button “Register for the free ORCID public API”.

You will be asked to read and consent to the terms of service.

ORCID Developer Tools page with the highlighted button Register for the free ORCID public API.

5. Fill out the registration form #

In the registration form, enter:

  • Your journal name
  • Your journal URL
  • A brief message about your journal - it will be displayed to your users when they connect their ORCID iDs
  • Redirect URI - this is the page your users will be taken to after they have authenticated their ORCID iDs. It must begin with “https://” and include the link to the journal. For details and examples see the ORCID redirect URIs section below.

ORCID Developer Tools public API request form.

6. Save the form and receive your credentials #

  1. Click on the save icon on bottom right to save the form. ORCID Developer Tools public API request form with the save icon pointed out.
  2. Your credentials (Client ID and Client Secret) will be displayed right away. Copy these credentials into the OJS/OPS ORCID Profile Plugin as explained below. ORCID Developer Tools public API request form with Client ID and Secret displayed.

Request Member API credentials #

Member API credentials are connected to an ORCID member organization. Your organization must be an ORCID member to request Member API credentials. If your journal is affiliated with an institution, contact the institution’s library to ask about ORCID membership and API credentials. You may also wish to check whether your organization belongs to a local consortium, as you may be able to receive help from the consortium. You can also contact ORCID directly at support@orcid.org.

To request your Member API credentials, complete the form to Register a client application: Production Member API - Trusted Party. Once you submit the form, ORCID will email your production member Client ID and Client Secret to you.

ORCID redirect URIs #

When you register for ORCID API credentials, you will need to enter at least one Redirect URI, which is the journal location that your users will be sent to after authorizing OJS/OPS to connect to their ORCID record, The URI must begin with “https://” and include the link to the journal as part of the URI. For example:

  • This works (for example, for a multi-journal installation): https://example.com
  • This works (for a single journal): https://example.com/index.php/testJournal
  • This does NOT work: https://example.com/index.php/testJournal/index

The host option allows any URI under that host to be used as a Redirect URI. In multiple journal instances, make sure you choose the base url of your domain and not individual journals to avoid redirect errors. For individual journals it is important to use the journal path (typically something like “index.php/testJournal”, without any trailing information, as per above). Any additional information in the URI will cause the redirect to not work.

If a URI needs to be updated, or new one(s) added:

For more detail on Redirect URIs, see the ORCID support page for Public APIs and Member APIs, respectively.

Please note: When registering to receive Member API credentials, organizations are required to indicate the “Client Name” along with the Redirect URI(s). When working with multiple journals as part of an OJS instance, the Client Name used must be broad enough to serve as a source for all of the journals hosted on its instance(s), as the Client Name is what will appear as the “source” of data when a work from OJS is written to an ORCID record (e.g. “ABC University journal hosting service”). However, if you plan to install only one journal in your domain and use ORCID for that journal, then the Client Name can be indicated as the name of the journal.

When registering for Sandbox or Production Member API credentials through ORCID, although there appears to be a limit of five redirects, you can add as many as you like to the ‘notes to ORCID’ section. If you ever need to adjust, add, or remove URIs, you can resubmit the form and indicate that it is for an existing application.

Enable and configure the ORCID Profile plugin in OJS/OPS #

After you have obtained your Client ID and Client Secret from ORCID, you can enable and configure the plugin in OJS/OPS.

First, enable the ORCID plugin for each journal (OJS) or preprint server (OPS) on your installation:

  1. When logged in to OJS/OPS as an administrator, go to Settings > Website > Plugins
  2. Click on Plugin Gallery and select ORCID Profile from the list

There are three potential scenarios for configuring the plugin, based on your use case:

  1. If you have a single journal or preprint server installation, configure the plugin following the instructions below under Per Journal/Preprint Server Setup.
  2. If you have a multi-journal or multi-preprint server installation, but you do not want to enable the ORCID plugin for all, configure each journal or preprint server separately following the instructions below under Per Journal/Preprint Server Setup, using the same ORCID API credentials (Client ID and Client Secret) for each.
  3. If you have a multi-journal or multi-preprint server installation and want to enable the ORCID plugin for all site-wide, follow the instructions below under Site-wide Setup.

Per Journal/Preprint Server Setup #

If you want to enable the ORCID plugin for a single journal (OJS) or preprint server (OPS):

  1. When logged in to OJS/OPS as an administrator, go to Settings > Website > Plugins
  2. Under Installed Plugins find the ORCID plugin
  3. Check the checkbox to enable to plugin
  4. Click the blue arrow to the left of the plugin name to make “Settings” appear, then open Settings. Select your API type and enter your Client ID and Client Secret.

Setup for OJS ORCID plugin with Public client ID and secret entered.

For a visual walkthrough see this ORCID plugin setup video.

Email Settings #

Under “E-Mail Settings” you can tick the checkbox to “Send e-mail to request ORCID authorization from authors when an article is accepted.” If checked, OJS/OPS will send an email automatically to authors who have not already linked their ORCID iDs when the article is published asking them to link their iDs. This request will be sent using the “ORCID Collect Author Id” email template (Public API) or “ORCID Request Author Authorization” (Member API).

OJS ORCID plugin with checkbox checked to send email to request ORCID authorization from authors.

Site-wide Setup #

For multi-journal and multi-preprint server installations the plugin can be set site-wide in config.inc.php to enable the ORCID plugin for all journals. Note that site-wide settings through config.inc.php override any existing individual plugin settings. However, the plugin can be enabled/disabled on an individual basis for journals, and each journal can manage their own email settings as described above. Adding credentials in the config.inc.php hides the Client Secret from Journal/Server Managers, which may be preferred if you have institutional credentials for ORCID. Add the following section to your config.inc.php file:

Config settings in the OJS config file

Note that the api_url needs to end with a slash.