> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.researchgate.net/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.researchgate.net/getting-started/following-research.md).

# Following research

### Page contents

* [Overview](#overview)
* [How to follow research items](#how-to-follow-research-items)
* [Managing and unfollowing research items](#managing-and-unfollowing-research-items)
* [Is my following activity public?](#is-my-following-activity-public)
* [When are items followed automatically?](#when-are-items-followed-automatically)

#### Overview <a href="#overview" id="overview"></a>

Following a research item, like a publication or a Q\&A post, means you will receive updates about new activity. For example, you'll be notified if an author adds a full-text to a publication or if a new answer is posted to a Q\&A discussion.

#### How to follow research items <a href="#how-to-follow-research-items" id="how-to-follow-research-items"></a>

**To follow a publication:**

1. Go to the publication's page.
2. Click the **More** button on the right-hand side.
3. Select **Follow** to get updates from the drop-down menu.

You can also follow a publication directly from your feed, search results, or a profile by clicking the **Follow** button beneath the author list or abstract preview.

**To follow a Q\&A post:**

On the question or discussion page, click the **Follow** button located directly under the post.

#### Managing and unfollowing research items <a href="#managing-and-unfollowing-research-items" id="managing-and-unfollowing-research-items"></a>

**To view or manage the items you follow:**

* Visit the [Following tab](https://www.researchgate.net/go.Profile.interest.html?pli=1) on your profile. This is where you can keep track of all the research items, journals, and people you follow.

**To unfollow an item:**

Go to the specific publication or Q\&A post page and click the **Following** button. Clicking it again will immediately unfollow the item.

#### Is my following activity public? <a href="#is-my-following-activity-public" id="is-my-following-activity-public"></a>

Yes, in most cases, your activity is public:

* **Individual items (publications, Q\&A posts):** When you follow one of these, your follow is publicly visible — it may appear in others' Home feed activity or on the item's own page. However, individual items and Q\&A posts you follow are not listed on your profile's Following tab.
* **People and journals:** These are listed on your profile's [Following tab](https://www.researchgate.net/go.Profile.interest.html?pli=1) when others view it. People you follow (and who follow you) are visible to everyone; journals you follow are visible to other logged-in ResearchGate members.

#### When are items followed automatically? <a href="#when-are-items-followed-automatically" id="when-are-items-followed-automatically"></a>

Some items are followed automatically to improve your ResearchGate experience and keep you informed:

* **Full-Text Requests:** If you request a full-text for a research item, you will automatically follow it.
* **Q\&A Activity:** You automatically follow any question or discussion that you post, comment on, recommend, or share.


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# Agent Instructions
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## Querying This Documentation
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Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

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```

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