How do I report to ResearchGate that a researcher has passed away?
If you know a researcher who has passed away, you can report their ResearchGate profile to us by following these steps:
Visit our Help Center and click Contact us at the top of the page
Under What can we help you with? select Account and profiles
Under How can we help you? select I’m reporting the profile of a deceased researcher
To submit your report, you’ll need to enter the URL of their ResearchGate profile and some further information, such as a link to an online obituary or notice on their institution's website.
What happens to the ResearchGate profile of a deceased researcher?
Once a report is confirmed, we deactivate all notifications being sent to the email address of the deceased and stop pending invitations going out in their name. Additionally, we remove all sensitive contact information from their profiles so that it is not publicly visible. Other researchers will still be able to follow, download and view their work, and see their answers in Q&A.
Note: It's not possible to transfer ownership of or grant access to a deceased researcher's ResearchGate account to another person.
How can I request the deletion of a deceased researcher’s account?
We can delete a deceased researcher’s account upon request from an authorized representative, such as an executor or someone with power of attorney. To process this request, please provide the following:
Proof of passing (e.g., online obituary, a scanned obituary from a local newspaper)
Proof of authority (e.g., last will and testament, power of attorney).
When submitting documentation, please cover up any personal information we don’t need to see in order to fulfill your request. Once we confirm that the documentation matches the information on the researcher’s account, we will proceed with the account deletion.
