How do I search for research items on ResearchGate?
Simply type the name of the researcher, research item, or question you’re looking for in the search bar at the top of any ResearchGate page and press Enter. If the item you’re looking for doesn’t immediately appear in the search results list, try using the filters across the top of the page (e.g. Research, People, Questions).
Note: The search bar at the top of every ResearchGate page supports DOIs, allowing you to quickly find and identify a publication when you have its DOI.
How do I request a full-text?
As we strongly believe that scientific content should be accessible to everyone, this option to request a full-text is available to both logged-in members and logged-out users. On many publication pages, if there’s no full-text available, you will see a blue Request full-text button at the top right-hand corner of the publication page. On publications that are part of our partnership with Springer Nature, you may see a blue View access options button instead. Select this button and you'll see a dialog box where you can choose Request full-text from authors.
If the authors are on ResearchGate and have added the publication to their profiles, the request is sent straight to them. If the authors choose to make the full-text available either publicly or by privately sharing it with you, you’ll receive a notification. If none of the authors are on ResearchGate, your request will be saved and passed to them should they join ResearchGate in the future.
What does the 'Request full-text' button do?
Clicking the Request full-text button on a publication page causes a message to be sent from the requester to the authors of the publication. Recipients of such messages can ignore them, decline them, or respond. An author who concludes that they have the right to share the requested content may choose to share the full-text publicly or to send a private copy to the requester. No content is automatically supplied to anyone in response to a full-text request. In no event does ResearchGate make available or provide a copy of the full-text to the requester. That can only be done by an author.
If the authors are not on ResearchGate yet, the request will not be received unless and until they join ResearchGate and add the publication to their profiles. If the authors are on ResearchGate but haven't yet confirmed authorship of the publication, they'll only receive the request once they confirm their authorship.
When will I receive the full-text I requested?
Full-text requests can only be fulfilled by the authors of the publication. No content is automatically supplied in response to a request and in no event will ResearchGate make available or provide a copy of the full-text you have requested. Because of this, the time it takes for your request to be fulfilled is entirely dependent on the authors. It’s possible that your request may never be fulfilled. This can happen if, for example, the authors decide that they do not have the right to share the content with you, or because the authors are not yet on ResearchGate. If none of the authors are on ResearchGate, your request will be saved and passed to them should they join ResearchGate in the future.
How do I cancel a full-text request?
It’s not possible to cancel a full-text request. Because of this, we encourage you to exercise discretion when requesting full-texts from authors and to only request research that is of interest to you.
How do I respond to full-text requests?
Requests contain all Full-text, Author, and other types of requests. These generally require some kind of answer or confirmation. You can find your requests by clicking on the speech bubble icon at the top-right of any ResearchGate page, or by going directly to Requests.
To send a full-text that has been requested:
- Click on the speech bubble icon at the top-right of any ResearchGate page. Select the request you want to fulfill in the drop-down menu to view it. If you do not see the request you want to respond to, go to Requests by clicking View all at the bottom of the drop-down menu
- In Requests, you can manage all of your old and new requests. Select the blue View request button on the bottom left-hand side of the request you want to fulfill, then select Respond to...
- If a privately stored copy of the full-text is available on ResearchGate, you can choose the version of the stored publication you wish to upload and select Share this full-text. You can choose to make the full-text public by selecting Add as a public full-text, or send it privately to the researcher by selecting Send in message.
Alternatively, there is an option to Share different full-text, in which case you can select a file from your computer.
To add a public full-text to your publication page, making it visible to everyone, select Select and upload file under Add as a public full-text, then select Upload to confirm.
To send the full-text privately to the researcher, select Select and upload file under Send full-text in a private message, then add a message or a quick reply and click Send. - If there is no privately stored copy of the full-text available on ResearchGate, you will see two options. Select I have the full-text and you will have the option to add a public full-text, or to send a full-text in a private message. If you select No full-text to share, you can choose to send a message to the researcher who requested the full-text from you.
Please always remember to fully investigate and confirm that you have sufficient rights to publicly or privately share particular content before you do so. As we do not have any information about rights you may hold, or any license terms or other restrictions which might apply to content, we necessarily rely on you to understand your rights and act accordingly. For further information, please see our Intellectual Property Policy.
How can I decline a full-text request?
To decline a full-text request:
- Visit Requests
- In the Open requests tab, scroll down to the relevant research item and select Decline request.
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If you want to give a reason for declining (e.g. I don’t have the full-text of this paper), enter the reason in the pop-up window, or choose a quick reply, then click Send message.
- To decline with no message, click Decline without message.
Note: If you choose to give a reason for declining, your message will be recorded in the Sent tab of your inbox.