# Security checks on ResearchGate

To help protect ResearchGate from malicious traffic and abuse, we use Cloudflare security measures to defend against threats such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, spam, and automated scraping.

As part of these measures, Cloudflare may ask you to complete a verification challenge (sometimes called CAPTCHA or a “verify you’re human” check) if unusual activity is detected or your connection cannot be automatically verified.

#### Why am I being asked to verify that I’m human?

Cloudflare may show a verification challenge to confirm that traffic reaching ResearchGate is coming from a real user rather than an automated system.

In some situations, assistive technologies, browser extensions, privacy tools, or unusual browser configurations may affect how these checks behave.

Because these verification challenges are managed by Cloudflare, ResearchGate Support cannot manually bypass or remove them.

If you encounter a verification challenge, you can try:

* making sure your browser is up to date
* clearing your browser cache and cookies
* temporarily disabling browser extensions or tools that modify page behavior, if possible
* trying a different browser
* switching to a different network connection
* disconnecting from a VPN or proxy service, if you are using one

#### I use assistive technology and cannot complete the security check

We understand that some security checks may be difficult or inaccessible depending on your browser setup, device configuration, or the tools you use to access the web, including assistive technologies such as screen readers, voice control software, browser accessibility tools, or alternative input methods.

If you cannot complete a Cloudflare verification challenge, ResearchGate Support may not be able to override it directly. However, if the problem persists, you can contact Support so we can check whether there may be an additional account-specific issue.

To help us investigate, please include:

* the page you were trying to access
* what you were trying to do
* the exact error message shown, including the Cloudflare Ray ID
* your browser and operating system
* the assistive technology, browser extension, or related tools you are using


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://help.researchgate.net/security-and-access/security-checks-on-researchgate.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.