ResearchGate is a free professional network for scientists and researchers in disciplines including (but not limited to) biology, medicine, physics and chemistry. It allows you create a profile to share your credentials, biography and your research outputs and publications. The platform helps to make your own research visible to a global network of researchers. You can then connect and follow colleagues, co-authors and specialists in your field of research to keep up-to-date with the latest information on their projects and research outputs.
You can ask research-related questions and get advice from experts in your field of research.
You can access publications and research outputs from other researchers.
You can share draft versions (preprints) of your research output to receive feedback before publication.
You can share published work to your profile (always check your publishers copyright preferences and your publisher agreement/copyright transfer agreement to ensure you are allowed to share that particular version online).
You can get metrics on your research outputs and find out who has been reading and citing your work.
You can explore the latest job opportunities matched to your profile.
Think before use
Before uploading research to ResearchGate you need to consider the following:
Be aware of any confidentiality, copyright or security issues associated with uploading your publication to ResearchGate
Publishers may have limitations on what you can share on particular platforms. ResearchGate is a commercial social networking site and is NOT an institutional repository so you will need to look for your publishers’ guidelines in relation to uploading papers to these sites
Commercial sites like ResearchGate are also subject to ‘take down’ notices from publishers.
ARC and NHMRC advise against relying on the use of commercial, social media platforms such as ResearchGate as a way for meeting open access compliance requirements. Visit the open access policy requirements from ARC and NHMRC for more information.
How to create a profile with ResearchGate