At the moment, Readings and Recommendations can be furnished by any RG member regardless of his/her academic background. Belonging to a SIG, e.g. Applied Linguistics or Mechanical Engineering, would surely render such scores more valid.
ResearchGate strikes me as one of the few places where academics across disciplines interact intellectually. I find it helpful to read from those with other perspectives. When I answer questions, I try to avoid jargon and explicate assumptions. I consider a recommendation / read from someone in another field just as valid - perhaps even moreso - than from someone in my field! "Validity" in Psychology and Social Sciences means measuring what we intend to measure (like "accuracy" in Natural Sciences). What counts as "validity" probably depends mostly on what we think RG stats are supposed to measure. Best wishes Reda. ~ Kevin
I agree, but not entirely. When Reads’ scores are furnished by non-specialist members, then validity of corresponding scores is questionable. Although the intention is “measuring what we intend to measure” – the quality of a research article, the Reader in question may not necessarily be in a good position, from a scholarly point of view, to grant such a significant score. In the case of a Recommendation, however, the consequence may not be as critical, so long as Reads, as I understand, weigh more in calculating scores.
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