Following researchers

Following a researcher means you’ll get updates about their new publications and certain activity on ResearchGate. This is the primary way to build your network and stay up-to-date with work you are interested in.

How to follow a researcher

You can follow other researchers whose work you're interested in to grow your network and create exposure for your research.

There are several ways to follow a researcher:

• From their profile: Go to their profile page and click the blue Follow button, usually on the top right.

• From your Home Feed: As you scroll down your Home Feed, check the Who to follow section on the right-hand side. Click Follow next to a suggested researcher, or click Load more suggestions.

• From suggestions: Click the Follow button that appears next to their name in suggestions you see across the site.

Note: We’ll let the researcher know when you follow them, which gives them the option to follow you back

How to unfollow a researcher

If you wish to unfollow someone, the easiest way is to go to their profile.

• From their profile:

  • Go to the researcher's profile page.

  • Click the Unfollow button, which is located below the Message button on the right-hand side of the page.

• From your Following tab: You can also go to your profile’s Following tab, find the researcher, and click the Following button next to their name.

Note: Researchers are not notified when you unfollow them.

Finding researchers to follow

You can discover new researchers in a few ways:

• Browse: Look at author lists when you read publications.

• Search: Use the search bar to find people you know or other experts in your field.

Suggestions: Visit the Related researchers page for recommendations based on your interests.

Where to see who you're following

You can see the list of researchers you’re following and who is following you on your profile's Following tab (found just below your profile picture).

• The Following tab is also where you can manage and filter the content you want to keep up with, including research items, questions, and topics.

• We’ll notify you via email and on-site notifications when someone new follows you.

Is there a limit to how many researchers I can follow?

Yes, there is a limit to the number of people you can follow. We restrict this for both security and technical reasons, primarily to prevent members from systematic spamming.

• How the limit works: The limit is not fixed; it is based on the number of researchers who follow you.

• What to do: If you reach this limit and want to follow new researchers, you must first unfollow some others.

Editing your list of followed researchers helps to ensure a more personalized Home Feed filled with content relevant to your interests and field of research.

Why are some researchers automatically followed?

To help streamline your ResearchGate experience, we automatically follow certain researchers in a few specific cases:

• Colleague invitation: If you joined ResearchGate from a colleague's invitation, you will automatically follow each other upon account creation.

• Sign-up via a profile: If you signed up to ResearchGate while viewing another researcher's profile, you will automatically follow that researcher.

• Co-authors: If any of your co-authors have ResearchGate accounts, you will automatically follow them.

What are shared connections?

A Shared Connection is a term for someone who is connected to both you and the person whose profile you are viewing. You may see a Shared Connections section on the right-hand side of other people’s profiles.

• We consider the following to be your connections: co-authors, advisors, lab colleagues, mutual followers, and department colleagues.

• Shared Connections are a helpful way to see how relevant a researcher is to your work and professional community.