Name Ambiguity Problem
Definition: An attribution issue arising from two related problems: authors may use multiple names or monikers to publish work, and multiple authors in a single field may share full names. This makes accurate identification of authors on names and specialisms alone a difficult task. This can be addressed through the creation and use of unique digital identifiers that act akin to digital fingerprints such as ORCID.
Related terms: Authorship, DOI (digital object identifier), ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID)
Reference:
- Wilson, B., & Fenner, M. (2012). Open Researcher & Contributor ID (ORCID): Solving the Name Ambiguity Problem. Educause Review - E-Content, 47(3), 54–55. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2012/5/open-researcher--contributor-id-orcid-solving-the-name-ambiguity-problem
Originally drafted by: Shannon Francis
Reviewed by: Tsvetomira Dumbalska, Mahmoud Elsherif, Helena Hartmann, Wanyin Li, Charlotte R. Pennington