Research Spotlights
What are Research Spotlights?
Research Spotlights help you share your work with a wider audience and connect with other researchers. Think of them as a special post about your research that appears in other researchers' home feeds
Boost your visibility
Spotlights help you reach researchers who aren't following you yet. When you create a Spotlight, you add details and keywords, and our special algorithm shows it to relevant researchers in your field. Your followers will also see your Spotlight, so people you know can discover and engage with your work
Engage with your audience
Spotlights are a great way to start conversations about your research. Your peers can comment on your Spotlight to ask questions, share ideas, and show support. This helps you connect with others interested in your work or facing similar challenges. You can also comment on other researchers' Spotlights.
Discover relevant research
Easily find new and relevant research in your home feed. We'll show you Spotlights that we think are relevant to you and your work. You'll also see Spotlights from people you follow and when they comment on other Spotlights. The extra details and keywords from authors make it easy to understand a Spotlight's relevance.
Any ResearchGate member with a publication can create a Spotlight, and all researchers can read and comment on them.
Getting more reads for your work
First, choose your research. Then, add details and keywords to explain the relevance of your work. After that, share your Spotlight.
It will be shown to relevant researchers you're not connected to for 30 days. Your followers will also see it.
Finally, amplify engagement: when someone comments on your Spotlight, their followers will also see it, helping your research reach an even larger audience.
As soon as people start interacting with your Spotlight, we start calculating the number of views it receives, as well as all the new reads your showcased research item receives from ResearchGate members. You can track your new reads from the stats section of your profile.
Staying Up-to-Date on Recent Research
Spotlights from researchers you are not connected to appear in a dedicated section of your home feed. Use the arrows to scroll through Spotlights matched to your interests. Since authors provide keywords and details, it's easy to quickly understand their relevance to your work, saving you time.
What kind of research can I showcase in a Spotlight?
Spotlights can be created for the following types of research items that you've authored:
Articles
Books
Preprints
Engaging with Other Researchers
When you create a Spotlight, add details to spark conversation. You might highlight a specific contribution, a key result, or even ask a question related to your work.
Any ResearchGate member can comment, and you can reply. Spotlight comments are excellent for asking questions, sharing ideas, and supporting fellow researchers. They also make it easy to engage with other researchers who are working on related topics or similar challenges.
Who sees your Spotlights?
We use an algorithm to show your Spotlights to relevant ResearchGate members in your field who are not currently connected to you (e.g., not co-authors or followers). This helps you reach a broader audience. Your followers also see your Spotlights, and if someone comments, their followers will see it too.
How long do Spotlights last?
Research Spotlights are shown to relevant researchers (who aren't following you) for 30 days.
How often can you create a Spotlight?
You can create one Spotlight at a time every 30 days. If you delete your current Spotlight before the 30 days are up, you can create a new one.
Viewing your Spotlight
You can see your active Spotlight on your profile. Track new reads in the stats section.
Editing or deleting a Spotlight
Go to your Spotlight on your profile
Click View Spotlight
Click the three-dot icon on the right side of your Spotlight details
Select Edit or Delete from the menu.
Why can't I create a Spotlight for my research?
This could be due to one of the following reasons:
Research type: Spotlights can only be created for articles, books, or preprints you've authored. Other research items (like conference papers or data files) are not supported.
Authorship: You must be an author of the research item and the item must already be added to your ResearchGate profile. If not, add it first.
Publication age: It's not possible to Spotlight a publication that was published over 2 years ago.
Previous Spotlight: You cannot Spotlight a publication that you have previously featured as a Spotlight.
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