| :leaf: | Getting started | How to join ResearchGate, follow research, share work, and start collaborating. | /pages/LtFw8fRzLz4eALxyk3eu |
| :user: | Profile | How to create, edit, and manage your researcher profile and control its visibility. | /pages/iXEObaZPGu7YDMY7Qdq6 |
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# What is ResearchGate? ### Page contents * [Overview](#overview) * [What can I do on ResearchGate?](#what-can-i-do-on-researchgate) * [How do I get started?](#how-do-i-get-started) #### Overview ResearchGate is the professional network for scientists and researchers. Our platform provides a global community of over 25 million members where you can connect, collaborate, and share your work. #### What can I do on ResearchGate? Joining the ResearchGate community allows you to: * Connect and collaborate: Find and connect with colleagues, co-authors, and specialists in your field from around the world. * Share your work: Upload your research and track its influence using detailed statistics. * Access research: Discover and read a wide range of relevant journal content and other research materials. * Share expertise (Q\&A): Ask research-related questions, get answers from experts, and contribute your own knowledge to the community. * Advance your career: Discover professional opportunities like jobs, learning resources, and publishing options tailored to your field. #### How do I get started? Start connecting with the research world in a few simple steps. **1. Register** * Go to [ResearchGate](http://www.researchgate.net/) and click **Join for free**. * Note: Membership is only open to active researchers. For more details on eligibility, [learn more](/getting-started/signing-up-for-researchgate). **2. Complete Your Profile** * Add a profile photo: Profiles with photos receive 3 times more views. * List your skills and expertise: This helps other researchers understand your work and ensures you see relevant content. * Specify your current institution and department: This helps you connect with peers and grants you access to specific research and opportunities. * Tip: To find and claim your publications, see [Authorship](/profile/authorship). **3. Engage with the Community** * Grow your network: Once your profile is set up, visit your [Related researchers](https://www.researchgate.net/browse.BrowseSuggestResearcher.html) page to follow others in your field. * Explore Q\&A: Participate by asking questions or sharing your knowledge by answering others. It’s a great way to start engaging immediately. * Learn more about interacting with peers: Review our [Community Guidelines](https://www.researchgate.net/community-guidelines). **4. Discover research** Check your Home feed (accessible by clicking **Home** at the top left of any page) for the latest research and updates. # Signing up for ResearchGate ### Page contents * [Overview](#overview) * [I don't have an institutional email address, or my institutional email address isn't recognized. Can I still sign up?](#i-dont-have-an-institutional-email-address-or-my-institutional-email-address-isnt-recognized-can-i-still-sign-up) * [Why haven't I received the activation email?](#why-havent-i-received-the-activation-email) * [What can I do if the link in my activation email doesn't work?](#what-can-i-do-if-the-link-in-my-activation-email-doesnt-work) * [What should I do if I entered the wrong email address during signup?](#what-should-i-do-if-i-entered-the-wrong-email-address-during-signup) * [Can I access ResearchGate content without an account?](#can-i-access-researchgate-content-without-an-account) #### Overview ResearchGate is a professional network for active scientists and researchers. We ask that you sign up with your institutional email address to help us easily verify your involvement in current research. You can always change your email address after signing up. To start connecting and collaborating with researchers worldwide, follow these steps: 1. Go to [www.researchgate.net](http://www.researchgate.net/) 2. Click **Join for free**. 3. Select your researcher type. 4. Enter your name, institutional email address, and choose a password. 5. To complete your account creation, click the link in the activation email you receive. #### I don't have an institutional email address, or my institutional email address isn't recognized. Can I still sign up? We strongly encourage the use of institutional email addresses for verification. In rare circumstances, we consider requests for accounts from individuals who do not have an institutional email but are actively engaged in research within a specialized field. If you believe you meet these criteria, you can contact us to request an account. Please provide the following information: * **Your** **full name**. * **A detailed description of your current institutional affiliation(s) and specific field of research**, including any supporting links (e.g., to a university department page, research group, or recognized commercial R\&D entity). * **Clear evidence of recent and relevant peer-reviewed scientific or academic publications** in your professional field, or **evidence of recent and relevant research activity** in commercial R\&D within your professional field. This must demonstrate your active, specialized involvement. * **A scanned copy of your current student or academic ID, or PhD enrollment certificate.** We do not accept CVs, lengthy documents, or submissions from hobbyists, retired researchers, or individuals researching outside their established professional expertise. Submitting a request does not guarantee acceptance, and all decisions are entirely at our discretion. Due to the high volume of requests, we cannot guarantee that you will be informed of the outcome of your submission. #### Why haven't I received the activation email? If you haven't received your activation email within 24 hours, please try the following: * Check your spam mail folder. * Check all of your email folders, as some email clients automatically filter emails into different categories. * Add ResearchGate to your address book. You can find instructions [here](https://www.researchgate.net/help/whitelist-email). * Contact your email administrator to ensure all emails from @researchgate.net and @researchgatemail.net can be received. More information is available in [Managing your email settings](/account-settings/managing-your-email-settings). Once you’ve tried all of the above options, you can request another activation email [here](https://www.researchgate.net/signup/confirm/resend). Fill in your email address, and click **Submit**. You should receive a new activation email within 5 minutes. If you have requested multiple activation emails, only the latest link will be active. #### What can I do if the link in my activation email doesn't work? Links in emails can sometimes be blocked by the security settings of your email client (e.g., Outlook or Apple Mail). Look for an option at the top of the email to allow links or pictures from the sender address. If this option isn't available, you may need to adjust a security setting in your email client. We also suggest adding ResearchGate to your address book to prevent this issue in the future. You can find instructions on how to do this [here](https://www.researchgate.net/help/whitelist-email). As a workaround, you can forward the activation email to another email account you own that is not experiencing this issue and click on the link there. #### What should I do if I entered the wrong email address during signup? If you signed up with an incorrect email address, please sign up again with the correct email. We cannot change the email address associated with your initial signup. You may need to clear your browser's cookies before signing up again. #### Can I access ResearchGate content without an account? We believe scientific results should be accessible to everyone. You are welcome to browse ResearchGate and discover content such as publications, jobs, and discussions without being registered. Just go to [Publications](https://www.researchgate.net/search), [Jobs](https://www.researchgate.net/jobs), or [Questions](https://www.researchgate.net/search/questions). # 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 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 **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 **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? 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? 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. # Following researchers ### Page contents * [Overview](#overview) * [How to follow a researcher](#how-to-follow-a-researcher) * [How to unfollow a researcher](#how-to-unfollow-a-researcher) * [Finding researchers to follow](#finding-researchers-to-follow) * [Where to see who you're following](#where-to-see-who-youre-following) * [Is there a limit to how many researchers I can follow?](#is-there-a-limit-to-how-many-researchers-i-can-follow) * [Why are some researchers automatically followed?](#why-are-some-researchers-automatically-followed) * [What are shared connections?](#what-are-shared-connections) #### Overview 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](https://www.researchgate.net/go.Profile.interest.html?pli=1), 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](https://www.researchgate.net/browse.BrowseSuggestResearcher.html?ev=invt_relres_xbrs_btn) 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. # Recommending and sharing content ### Page contents * [Overview](#overview) * [What you can recommend](#what-you-can-recommend) * [How to recommend a research item](#how-to-recommend-a-research-item) * [Understanding recommendations](#understanding-recommendations) * [How to share a research item](#how-to-share-a-research-item) #### Overview On ResearchGate, you have two primary ways to connect your peers with high-quality research: recommending it publicly or sharing it privately. * **Recommend:** This is a public action. It helps your peers and network discover valuable research. * **Share:** This is a private action. It allows you to send a research item directly to specific colleagues or groups for private discussion. You might recommend or share a research item for these reasons: * To highlight important or cutting-edge research. * To keep your network updated on relevant research in your field. * To start a discussion with peers or colleagues. * To share your own work with your professional network. #### What you can recommend You can recommend any research item you believe is valuable to the community, including: * Articles, preprints, and conference papers * Questions and answers #### How to recommend a research item **Follow these steps to publicly recommend a publication or preprint:** 1. Go to the research item's page. 2. Click the **More** button located under the statistics on the right-hand side of the page. 3. Select **Recommend publicly** from the menu. **To recommend a question or answer:** * Simply click the **Recommend** button that appears directly below the question or answer. **To remove your recommendation:** Follow the steps above and click the button again, which will now show as **Recommended**. #### Understanding recommendations Recommendations are public on ResearchGate: * Your network is notified and will see your recommendation appear in their activity feed. * Other researchers will see that you have recommended the item when they visit its page. #### How to share a research item If you want to share a research item with a select person or group privately, follow these steps: 1. Go to the research item's page. 2. Click the **Share** button located under the statistics on the right-hand side of the page. 3. Choose how you want to share: Select **Share on Twitter** or **Share as a message**. 4. Enter the recipient(s): Type the names of the researchers you want to share with, or select them from the suggestions. 5. Click **Share**. Important Note on private messages: You can only share a research item via private message with researchers who are already in your network.