Overview
Author identity is messier than it looks. Name changes, transliteration, hyphenated or multi-part surnames, common names and moves between institutions all lead to publications spread across several database profiles, or another researcher's papers appearing on yours. Each system handles this differently: some you create, some are generated automatically and must be claimed or corrected.
We audit where you currently appear, set up or tidy each profile, connect them through ORCID where the systems allow, and give you a short maintenance routine. Where changes need your login or identity verification, we guide you through them live or with step-by-step instructions, so you keep control of your accounts.
For a wider online presence, including a personal academic website and professional social media, see our academic online presence service.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Doctoral students and early-career researchers setting up profiles for the first time
- Researchers with name changes or transliterated names whose work is split across records
- Faculty preparing promotion, tenure or grant applications that ask for ORCID or citation profiles
- Researchers who moved institutions and have outdated affiliations everywhere
- Research offices that want a consistent approach for their staff (in institutional formats)
Common problems we help with
- Scopus shows two or three author profiles for you, each with part of your work
- Your Google Scholar profile includes papers by someone with the same name
- Your ORCID record is empty or out of date
- A funder or journal asks for an ORCID iD and you are not sure how to connect it
- Your Web of Science author record lists the wrong affiliation, or you never claimed it
- You want to know which platforms actually matter in your field
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Profile audit across ORCID, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science and ResearchGate
- ORCID setup and enrichment: employment, education, works, funding and peer review, with trusted-organization connections
- Google Scholar profile creation or clean-up: grouping versions, removing misattributed items, choosing automatic or manual updates
- Scopus author profile correction guidance, including merge and remove requests through Elsevier's correction tools
- Web of Science author record claiming, ResearcherID and ORCID linking
- ResearchGate profile review with advice on sharing full texts in line with publisher policies
- Name-variant strategy for future publications, including consistent use of your ORCID iD
- A maintenance checklist so profiles stay current with minimal effort
Not included
- Logging into your accounts with your passwords; we guide you or work in a screen-sharing session
- Adding publications you did not author or inflating metrics in any way
- Uploading full texts that your publisher agreement does not allow you to share
- Any promise about how quickly databases will process correction requests
What you receive
- Profile audit
- A table of where you appear, which records are duplicated, missing or misattributed, and the fix needed on each platform.
- Updated profiles
- Profiles created or corrected with you, including a clean publication list and current affiliation.
- Correction requests
- Prepared merge or removal requests for Scopus and Web of Science, ready for you to submit or submitted together in a session.
- Maintenance guide
- A one-page routine for keeping ORCID, Scholar and database profiles in sync after each new publication.
How it works
Collect your record
You send your CV or publication list and any name variants you have used.
Audit
We search each platform and map what exists, what is missing and what is wrong.
Fix together
In a guided session or through written instructions, you create, claim, merge and clean profiles.
Connect
We link identifiers through ORCID and set up automatic updates where the platforms support it.
Maintain
You receive a maintenance routine and a short follow-up check once correction requests have been processed.
The identifiers and platforms
- ORCID
- A free, persistent identifier you own and control, with visibility settings for each item. Publishers, funders and your institution can add verified information to your record with your permission.
- Google Scholar profile
- Created by you with a Google account. It appears in Scholar search results only when public and linked to a verified institutional email, and it displays citation counts, h-index and i10-index. Automatic updates can add others' papers, so manual review is often safer for common names.
- Scopus Author ID
- Assigned automatically by Elsevier's algorithms. You cannot create one, but you can request merges, removals and affiliation corrections through Scopus's author profile correction tools.
- Web of Science ResearcherID and researcher profile
- Clarivate generates author records with a ResearcherID; you claim and curate them in your Web of Science researcher profile, which replaced Publons in 2022 and can also record peer-review activity.
- ResearchGate
- A researcher social network useful for visibility and conversation in some fields. It is not a formal identifier or preprint server, and full-text uploads must respect publisher copyright.
Start with ORCID
ORCID is the one identifier you create and control yourself, and many other systems can read from or write to it. Getting it right first, with complete works and current employment, makes every other profile easier to keep accurate. Many journals and funders now require an ORCID iD at submission, and some populate your record automatically when you give permission.
We help you choose visibility settings, connect trusted organizations such as Crossref, your institution or Scopus, and avoid the common problem of duplicate ORCID accounts created by accident.
Split and merged author records
Algorithmic profiles in Scopus and Web of Science can split one researcher into several records, or merge two researchers with similar names. These errors affect the citation counts and h-index that committees may look at. Both platforms allow corrections: the process involves identifying the correct records, requesting the change, and waiting for processing. We prepare the evidence and walk you through the requests.
- Collect all name variants, including initials-only and transliterated forms
- Check affiliations and co-author patterns to separate namesakes
- Link your ORCID iD so future records attach correctly
Which profiles matter in your field
Not every platform matters equally. In many sciences, Scopus and Web of Science profiles feed institutional reporting and rankings. In the humanities and some social sciences, Google Scholar may be the most visible. ResearchGate's value varies by discipline and region. We help you prioritize rather than maintain everything with equal effort.
Metrics: what they show and what they do not
Each database counts citations from its own coverage, so your h-index will usually differ between Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science. That is normal. When reporting metrics in applications, name the source and date, and consider responsible-metrics principles such as those in DORA, which discourage judging individual work by journal-level indicators.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Sample profile audit summary
An early-career engineer who published under two transliterations of her surname wanted a clean record before a fellowship application. The audit below is invented to illustrate the format.
Findings
ORCID: created but only 3 of 17 works listed. Google Scholar: public, but includes 4 papers by a namesake. Scopus: two author profiles (11 and 5 documents). Web of Science: unclaimed author record with outdated affiliation.
Actions
Import works to ORCID via Crossref and Scopus search-and-link; switch Scholar to manual review and remove namesake items; request Scopus profile merge; claim Web of Science record and link ORCID.
Follow-up
Re-check Scopus and Web of Science after correction requests are processed; add future papers using the ORCID iD at submission.
Illustrative example with invented details, not a real client.
What you’ll need to provide
- An up-to-date CV or publication list, with DOIs where available
- All name variants and affiliations you have published under
- Access to your email for verification steps during a guided session
- Your institution's guidance on required profiles, if any
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Number of platforms to set up or correct
- Length of your publication record
- Complexity of name variants, namesakes or split records
- Guided live session versus written instructions
- Whether follow-up checks after correction requests are included
Turnaround depends on
- Processing times at Elsevier and Clarivate for correction requests, which we do not control
- Your availability for verification steps that need your login
- Completeness of your publication list at the start
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Do you need my passwords?
No, and please do not send them. We work through a guided screen-sharing session or step-by-step instructions, so you stay in control of your accounts and verification emails.
Why does my h-index differ across platforms?
Each database indexes different sources and counts citations differently. Google Scholar usually shows higher numbers because its coverage is broader. It is normal and worth explaining if you report metrics.
How long do Scopus corrections take?
It varies and is controlled by Elsevier. We prepare accurate requests to avoid back-and-forth and check the result with you afterwards.
Is Publons still a thing?
Publons moved into Web of Science in 2022. Your peer review and publication records are now part of the Web of Science researcher profile.
Should I upload my papers to ResearchGate?
Only versions your publisher agreement allows. Often you can share a preprint or accepted manuscript in an institutional repository even when the published PDF cannot be shared. We help you check.
Can you set this up for a whole department?
Yes, through a workshop or guided sessions. Institutional training on research visibility is also offered through our publishing workshops.