Scholarly Identity: A Guide

• Sign-up for an ORCID. An ORCID is 
  • unique to you (unlike your name)
  • Persistent throughout your career (unlike your institutional affiliations)
• Cross-link all of your accounts with your ORCID
• Be consistent with your name, department, university information 
• Chose platforms that are popular in your field and/or reach intended audiences (ex. fellow academics, potential students, general public). You don't need a profile on every social media or networking account. 
• Set goals for yourself (ex: post x times a week, follow x new people)
• Consider separating your personal account from your professional account
• Anyone can create an account with social networking tools, including your students, colleagues, current boss, and potential employers. Keep that in mind before you post something questionable. 

A unique identifier allows you to distinguish yourself from other researchers. It can be used in journal and grant submissions and it allows you to standardize your research persona ensuring that you get recognition for your work. It is now required by many funders and publishers.