Direct comparison
ORCID vs ROR vs RAiD
The three core persistent identifiers of modern research administration — what each identifies, how they relate, and which you need.
At a glance
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | ORCID | ROR | RAiD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identifies | A person (researcher) | An organisation | A research project / activity |
| Format | 16-digit, dash-separated: 0000-0002-1234-5678 | URL: https://ror.org/<crockford32> | Hex string + URL: raid.org.au/<id> |
| Governance | ORCID Inc. (non-profit, US) | California Digital Library + Crossref + DataCite | ISO 23527:2022; ARDC, SURF, Lyrasis, SDSC as registration authorities |
| Cost (researcher) | Free | Free | Free |
| How to get one | Self-register at orcid.org | Already exists for most institutions; search ror.org | Minted by funder, CRIS, or research office (not by individual) |
| Used in | Author records, manuscript bylines, CV | Author affiliations, grant records, CRIS | Project records, DMP, grant reporting |
| Required by | Most funders + publishers (de facto) | Most major publishers in submission metadata | Increasingly by funders (UKRI piloting, ARDC mandates) |
| Standardisation | ISO/IEC 27729 (ISNI-aligned) | Community-governed; emerging de facto standard | ISO 23527:2022 (formal international standard) |
| Lifecycle | Permanent per individual | Permanent per organisation (merges handled gracefully) | Lifetime of project + perpetually resolvable |
| Cost to mint (org) | Member fee for ORCID Member API | Free | Free at point of mint; supported by registration authorities |
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about PIDs
- What is the difference between ORCID and ROR?
- ORCID is the persistent identifier for an individual researcher (a person). ROR is the persistent identifier for a research organisation (a university, hospital, research institute). They identify different entity types and complement each other on author affiliations.
- What is RAiD and how is it different from ORCID and ROR?
- RAiD (Research Activity Identifier, ISO 23527:2022) is the persistent identifier for a research project itself — independent of the researchers (ORCID) or institutions (ROR) involved. A single project may have many ORCIDs and many RORs associated with it; RAiD is the spine that threads them together.
- Do I need all three?
- For most published research: yes, eventually. ORCID is essential today (most funders and publishers require it). ROR is requested by most major publishers in author affiliation metadata. RAiD is becoming standard in funder reporting via ARDC (Australia), SURF / FAIRCORE4EOSC (Europe), and Lyrasis / SDSC (US, in pilot).
- How do they relate to DOIs?
- A DOI identifies a specific research output (paper, dataset, software release). ORCID identifies the researcher. ROR identifies the institution. RAiD identifies the project. All four can coexist on a single publication and link to one another in structured metadata.
- Are these identifiers free?
- ORCID is free for individuals. ROR is free and open. RAiD is free for researchers (governed and minted by registration authorities — ARDC, SURF, Lyrasis — under ISO 23527). DOIs are minted by registration agencies (Crossref / DataCite / mEDRA) and the per-DOI cost is borne by the registering organisation, not the researcher.
- Which identifier should I get first?
- Get your ORCID iD today at orcid.org/register — it takes about three minutes. Then check whether your institution already has a ROR ID at ror.org (it almost certainly does). RAiD comes from your project funder or institutional CRIS, not from you directly.
Going deeper
Related on CASRAI
- · Full PID stack for researchers — ORCID, ROR, RAiD, DOI, IGSN, PIDINST, Software Heritage IDs, DMP IDs
- · CASRAI Dictionary: persistent-identifiers domain
- · CASRAI × ORCID federation
- · CASRAI × ARDC federation (RAiD steward)
- · Developer guide: ORCID integration
