The ORCID–WACA Community of Practice (CoP) is a regional collaborative forum established under the ORCID–WACA Initiative, led by the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN) with support from the ORCID Global Participation Fund. The CoP aims to advance ORCID adoption and integration across institutions in West and Central Africa, strengthen researcher identification, and enhance the visibility and discoverability of African scholarship.
The CoP provides a collaborative platform for researchers, librarians, repository managers, journal editors, publishers, and research administrators to share challenges, experiences, and practical strategies for persistent identifier (PID) adoption and integration into research management systems, institutional repositories, and journal publication workflows.
Membership Scope
Membership in the ORCID–WACA CoP is open to librarians, repository managers, journal editors, publishers, research administrators, open-science advocates, and all interested researchers and professionals in higher education and research institutions across Africa.
Focus Areas of the Community
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Mapping ORCID and other PIDs adoption across WACA to identify regions with low uptake, with opportunities for co-authorship and collaborative publication of the studies.
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Providing a supportive space to discuss institutional challenges related to PID adoption and to identify practical solutions.
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Co-creating guidance materials for African scholarly journals to adopt ORCID integration within editorial and publishing processes.
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Curating and developing starter resources for institutions beginning their ORCID adoption and integration into research infrastructures.
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Organising special-topic sessions based on member interests, including invited talks from the ORCID team and other experts.
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Hosting learning sessions on research identity, researcher visibility, PID adoption, and relevant topics.
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Supporting translation and localisation of key materials to increase accessibility across Anglophone and Francophone regions.
Member Expectations: Participate in monthly CoP meetings, discussions, and collaborative activities.
Interested individuals should complete the CoP membership form: https://survey.wacren.net/index.php/158976
Deadline: February 16, 2026
For questions or suggestions, please contact the ORCID–WACA team at orcid@wacren.net