To unlink institutional or social media accounts from your ORCID iD, sign in to your ORCID account, navigate to your account settings, locate the "Alternate sign in accounts" section, and click the delete ("trash bin" icon) next to the account you wish to remove.
Understanding Linked Accounts on ORCID
Your ORCID iD serves as a persistent digital identifier that helps distinguish you from other researchers and tracks your scholarly output. To streamline access and consolidate your professional identity, ORCID allows you to link various external accounts, such as institutional logins (e.g., university accounts) or social media profiles (e.g., Google). While these connections offer convenience, you maintain full control over them and can manage or remove them at any time directly from your ORCID account settings.
Step-by-Step Guide to Unlinking Accounts
Unlinking an external account from your ORCID iD is a simple process that helps you manage your privacy and security preferences.
Detailed Instructions
- Sign In to ORCID: Begin by going to the ORCID website and logging into your account. You can use your ORCID iD, registered email, or any currently linked institutional or social media account to sign in.
- Access Account Settings: Once logged in, navigate to your account settings. This is typically found by clicking on your name or profile icon, usually located in the top right corner of the page, and selecting "Account Settings" or a similar option.
- Locate "Alternate Sign In Accounts": On the account settings page, scroll down until you find the section explicitly labeled "Alternate sign in accounts." This area lists all the external accounts currently connected to your ORCID iD that you can use as alternative sign-in methods.
- Unlink the Account: Next to each listed account, you will see a delete ("trash bin" icon). Click this icon corresponding to the specific institution or social media account you wish to disconnect from your ORCID iD.
- Confirm Action (if prompted): A confirmation prompt may appear asking you to verify your decision. Confirm to finalize the unlinking process.
Once confirmed, the connection will be immediately removed, and you will no longer be able to use that specific external account to sign into your ORCID iD.
Why Unlink Accounts?
There are several valid reasons you might choose to unlink an account from your ORCID iD:
- Privacy Management: To control which services are connected to your ORCID record and manage potential data sharing.
- Institutional Changes: If you change institutions or leave a university, you might prefer to remove the old institutional login connection.
- Account Deactivation: If you've deactivated a social media account that was linked, unlinking it from ORCID is a good practice.
- Security Preferences: To minimize the number of external access points to your ORCID record and enhance your account security.
What Types of Accounts Can Be Unlinked?
The "Alternate sign in accounts" section typically allows you to manage connections for a variety of external services, including:
- Institutional Logins: Accounts from universities, research organizations, funding bodies, or other academic institutions.
- Social Media Accounts: Popular platforms like Google or Facebook, if they were used as a sign-in option.
- Other Federated Identities: Any other third-party identity providers that you linked to simplify your ORCID login process.
| Account Type | Action to Unlink | Effect on ORCID Sign-in |
|---|---|---|
| Institutional Account | Click "trash bin" icon in settings | Cannot use institution's login for ORCID sign-in anymore |
| Social Media Account | Click "trash bin" icon in settings | Cannot use social media login (e.g., Google) for ORCID |
| Other Linked Accounts | Click "trash bin" icon in settings | Removes the specific alternate sign-in method |
Important Considerations
It's crucial to understand what unlinking an account does and does not do:
- It does not delete your ORCID record: Your ORCID iD and its associated profile, works, and affiliations will remain active.
- It does not remove your ORCID iD from an external system: If your ORCID iD was previously integrated with an institutional system, unlinking the login method in ORCID settings does not automatically remove the ORCID iD from that external system.
- It does not affect the external account itself: Your university login or Google account remains active and unaffected by its disconnection from ORCID.
- It only removes the alternate sign-in method: The primary way to access your ORCID account using your ORCID iD and password remains available.
