A method for identifying dislocation motion in atomistic simulations is presented. While identifying
static and moving dislocations within a single crystal or a combination of such is well established,
the method described here is tailored to identify dislocation motion by correlating the displacements
of individual atoms. This facilitates the identification of dislocation motion in complex structural
arrangements, and allows the specific contribution to plastic deformation, due to dislocation motion,
to be separated from that of other mechanisms. The method is applied to test cases in crystals and
grain boundaries, in which irradiation-induced creep was induced. It is shown that the method
singles out the moving dislocations from among the dislocation forest at grain boundaries, thus
identifying the specific reactions driving the distortion at any given time. This enables the study
of dislocation processes in the presence of realistic obstacles, and the study of the effects of microstructure
on dislocation mobility. As an example of such a study, the method is applied to rule
out intragranular slip, and to estimate the contribution of dislocation motion to strain, in a NC
undergoing irradiation-induced creep.