Q&A Guidelines
At ResearchGate, we believe that meaningful, scientific discussions can help accelerate scientific progress. To help facilitate collaboration, we’ve created a Q&A forum where members can ask or answer questions, and have discussions in a research-focused environment.
This collaborative approach to problem-solving can help you connect with specialists and build your reputation, at any stage of your career. We’ve put together these guidelines so that you can get the most out of Q&A – and to make sure it remains relevant, professional, and useful.
Top tips for Q&A
Make sure your question title is clear, concise, and asks a question.
Search to see if your question has already been asked before posting.
Recommend good questions and answers that contribute to the topic instead of saying “thanks” or “good question.”
Keep it professional, polite, and respectful.
Refer to our Community Guidelines and Q&A Guidelines for tips on proper conduct on ResearchGate.
Report questions that violate our Community Guidelines, Terms of Service, or the law.
Asking a good question
Title
Your question is the first thing another researcher sees. It should be clear, concise, and contain enough information so that others can see what it’s about at first glance.
Explanation
This is where you provide further details that other researchers will need to answer your question. It’s best to be specific, so be sure to provide any necessary context and background information. You can even attach resources that help to explain your problem, such as images and graphs.
Note: Please make sure you have sufficient rights to share any resources before you do so.
Style
Keep your questions clear and focused. Always keep in mind that Q&A is where you engage with other scientists on a professional level and aim to use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Asking questions in English may help you reach more experts in your field.
Adding a good answer
A good answer is a comprehensive and considered response to the original question, and maybe even answers the question outright. Good answers often come from researchers who’ve experienced similar problems and can draw on their own research experience. Consider attaching resources to your answer or a reference to a publication.
Note: Please make sure you have sufficient rights to share your resources before you do so.
Inappropriate behavior
We want to make sure that discussions on ResearchGate are constructive so that everyone feels free to express their professional opinions while remaining respectful and tolerant of others. That's why we aim to keep all questions and answers professional and focused.
Please take a moment to review our Community Guidelines to learn about what behavior is encouraged on ResearchGate and what we consider inappropriate.
In addition, the following types of content that don’t contribute to meaningful scientific discussion will not be accepted in Q&A:
General knowledge questions that can be answered easily using a search engine
Content that is unrelated to the question
Requests for help with homework, dissertation titles, or dissertation topics
Questions relating to the general use of ResearchGate
Note: Content of the above nature may be deleted in accordance with our Terms of Service. Members engaging in repeated, inappropriate behavior may have their access to their accounts permanently disabled under our Strikes Policy.
Recommending and reporting
You can help determine which questions and answers are most visible in Q&A by recommending high-quality questions and answers. You can also help to make sure that quality on ResearchGate remains high by reporting content that violates our Community Guidelines, Terms of Service, or the law. Learn more about reporting questions and answers.
Questions about ResearchGate
If your question is about your ResearchGate account or if you have feedback or suggestions for us, please don’t post in Q&A – contact us instead. For questions about how ResearchGate works, check out the other sections in our Help Center.
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