We do need a "researcher ID number":
Really there is a HUGE problem when trying to find and/or identify a researcher in your Data Base:
the way its name is written, the coincidence of same names among different people
or different names for the same people.
(See 'why' in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name)
My request is to define or use some kind of easy-to-use "RESEARCHER ID NUMBER".
This will help a lot the usability and importance of Academic Search Data Base, compared with other similar tools.
My proposition is to use a simple code, like: [Country-of-origin]+[unique-number].
The unique number can be as simple as the date of birth. An example: 34-19811021, can be the ID of a Spanish researcher (34, phone country code for Spain) born the 21st of october of 1981.
In case of coincidence of two ID's, an aditional figure can be added then. The case of new or former countries can be easily solved (if needed). So the search for a specific author can be dramatically fast and accurate.
An example: Albert Einstein could have, then, the ID=49-18790314.
** Now I will try to explain my direct motivations.
I have been trying to locate myself and my colleagues in MS Academic Search tool. Hard work.
First case: SAME NAMES, DIFFERENT PEOPLE. One of my colleagues is 'Manuel Mazo'. But his son is also 'Manuel Mazo' and he is been doing some research too. Both authors ARE MERGED. How can we split them again if both have got exactly the same name in publications?
Second case: SAME PEOPLE, DIFFERENT NAMES. I will use 'myself' for such a 'critical case', as you will see. First of all, in Spain we usually have two 'first names' and we also keep two names (father and mother). So, my 'first name' is "Juan Carlos" (two
words) and my 'name' is "Garcia Garcia" (again two words, but different!!! - father=Garcia, mother=Garcia). This is a mesh when publishing. Let's see different versions of 'myself':
Juan C. Garcia
Juan C. García (with Spanish accent!)
J. Carlos Garcia
Juan Carlos Garcia
J.C. Garcia Garcia...
...and many others!
And the WORST thing is that Juan García in Spanish is like 'John Smith' in English (try a search by name with this!) So there are many other researchers (not only in Spain) with my name!
****
About Spanish names (in Spain and America), try:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_name
