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Getting started with ResearchGate

If you’ve joined ResearchGate and are wondering how to get started, then this is the page for you.

What is ResearchGate?

ResearchGate is the professional network for scientists and researchers. We help researchers connect and make it easy for them to share and access scientific output, knowledge, and expertise.

How is it useful?

ResearchGate connects you with content and researchers that you’ll find valuable to your own work.

Adding your research to your profile is the first step, and we then make it discoverable to other researchers in your field. You’ll find relevant publications and data that other researchers have shared easily accessible from your publication feed. And if you have research-related questions, you can ask them in Q&A and get them answered by a unique community of experts, as well as sharing your own knowledge and expertise.

How to get started

Getting started with ResearchGate is easy – here’s a quick overview of what to do first:

Complete your profile

The first step is to customize your profile and add your publications and research to it. Profiles with a photo receive an average of 150% more views, so it’s a good idea to add your photo from day one. Next, add your skills and expertise so that other researchers and potential collaborators can easily find out what your work is about. On top of this, adding your institution and department will help us connect you with people you know on ResearchGate, as will importing contacts from your email address book.

Once you’ve set up your profile, go to your Related researchers page to find people to follow.

Discover Publications

Your publication feed (click on Publications at the top of any page) is where you can discover the latest publications and data from other researchers. Use the filters on the right-hand side of the page to start browsing based on what’s new, your network, or your field of research.

Explore Q&A

Q&A (click on Q&A at the top of any page) is where you can ask research-related questions and get them answered by specialists. If you haven’t got a question right now, try answering some – it’s a great way to start sharing your knowledge, connect with others, and identify yourself as an expert in your field. And again, use the filters on the right-hand side to navigate.

For more information on getting started, take a look at the sections on the left-hand side to find out how to sign up and how to best build your network on ResearchGate.

Most frequently asked questions

 

ResearchGate is a professional network where scientists and researchers can share and access scientific output, knowledge, and expertise. We ask that you sign up with your institutional email address so that we can verify that you are a researcher – you can always change it after sign-up.

If you have an institutional email address that we don’t recognize, please follow the normal registration procedure to request an account. The request will be processed within one working day.

If you’re a published researcher but don’t have an institutional email address, we’re happy to look into your account request manually. Please contact us with details of your present and past institutional affiliations, field of research, and publications, preferably with supporting links.

If you’re not a researcher, you can still browse ResearchGate and discover content such as publications, jobs, and questions without being registered. 

One way to make sure that your publications gain maximum exposure among your peers is by inviting your co-authors to join you on ResearchGate when you add publications to your profile. This way, they too can create a profile, confirm authorship of their work, and share it with their own network. If you’d like your co-authors to join you, just make sure that the Invite my co-authors to ResearchGate box is checked when you’re adding publications, and where possible, an invitation will be sent to them. Invitations will only be sent if this box is checked; ResearchGate does not email your co-authors on your behalf without your knowledge or consent.

You can customize this feature at any time. To do this, go to your Invitation settings and uncheck the box at the top of the page that reads Invite my co-authors to ResearchGate.

We take personal data and anti-spam policies very seriously; our processes are compliant with European and U.S. regulations and are audited on a regular basis.

Please ensure that the activation email did not end up in your junk mail folder. If it’s not there, please request a new account activation email.

If you’ve requested a new account activation email but it still hasn’t arrived, we kindly ask that you send an email to support[at]researchgate.net from the email address you used to register. This way we can verify your email address and activate your account manually. 

To follow a researcher, go to their profile and click the green Follow button on the top right-hand side. You can also click the Follow button that appears next to their name in any suggestions you see around the site. To find more researchers whose work you might be interested in, go to your Related researchers  page. We’ll let someone know when you follow them so they have the option to follow you back.

Yes! The fastest way to find people you know or invite people to join you on ResearchGate is to import your email address book.

You can import your contacts in a few simple steps:

  1. Go to your Related researchers page
  2. Click Import contacts on the top right-hand side of the page
  3. This will take you to the Find your colleagues page
  4. Click on your email provider and follow the instructions provided.

Note: ResearchGate will never store your email password.