# Updates, requests, and messages

#### Updates, requests, and messages: An overview

ResearchGate is designed to keep you connected with your research community and the impact of your work. You can find notifications and interactions in three dedicated areas: Updates, Messages, and Requests.

* **Updates:** Find out about new followers, publications added by your co-authors, answers to questions you follow, and much more.
  * **How to access:** Click the bell icon in the top-right corner of any ResearchGate page.
  * **Tip:** Clicking a specific update takes you directly to the new content, so you can easily see who is engaging with your research.
* **Messages:** This is where you can view and manage all private messages you have sent or received from researchers who follow you.
  * **How to access:** Click the envelope icon in the top-right corner of any ResearchGate page.
    * For a complete guide on how to send, archive, and delete messages, please see our dedicated article: [Contacting other researchers](https://help.researchgate.net/getting-started/contacting-other-researchers).
  * **Note:** For privacy reasons, we don't share the personal details of any researcher, nor can we forward any messages to them on your behalf. Non-members can [sign up for a profile](https://www.researchgate.net/signup.SignUp.html) to begin connecting with others.
* **Requests:** This area contains all Full-text, Author, and other types of requests that require a response or confirmation from you.
  * **How to access:** Click the speech bubble icon in the top-right corner of any ResearchGate page.

#### How to view, fulfill and decline Requests

To manage all full-text requests, follow these quick steps:

1. **Access Requests:** Click the speech bubble icon in the top-right corner of any ResearchGate page.
2. **View All:** If you don't see a specific request in the dropdown, click **View all** to go to your [Open requests inbox](https://www.researchgate.net/requests).
3. **Respond:** Click the **View request** button under the item, then click **Respond to...** to begin the process.
4. **Decline:** select **Decline request** and a pop-up window will appear where you can choose the appropriate option

For a complete, step-by-step guide on how to fulfill or decline a request, including the detailed options for sharing and important information on your sharing rights, please see our dedicated Help Center article: [Discovering and requesting research](https://help.researchgate.net/research-and-publications/discovering-and-requesting-research).