Here are some previous discussions about ResearchGate in general:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_important_is_the_ResearchGate_to_you/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Do_you_participate_in_RG_to_share_your_research_or_to_gain_prestige_as_a_researcher/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_does_the_Research_Gate_portal_support_research_projects_and_analytical_work_carried_out_in_the_field_of_research/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can_RG_become_a_research_tool/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/I_consider_it_one_of_the_most_important_academic_website_for_scientific_researchers_Research_Gate_What_do_you_think/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Researchgate_is_an_essential_option_in_Coronavirus_time_for_researchers_What_do_you_think_and_suggest/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Boosting_research_impact_can_ResearchGate_increase_article_citations/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_much_time_do_members_spend_on_RG_perday/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_first_thing_you_see_in_an_RG_member_profile_page/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Institutional_repositories_versus_researchgate/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Which_interaction_do_you_like_best_in_the_Research_Gate_platform_When_do_you_often_online_daily_weekly_How_much_time_to_spend/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can_you_evaluate_the_performance_of_Researchgate_as_a_scientific_platform/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Does-the-Research-Gate-research-portal-offer-the-most-information-services-for-researchers-that-researchers-and-scientists-need/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_importance_of_recommendation_in_RG/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Which_interaction_do_you_like_best_in_the_Research_Gate_platform_When_do_you_often_online_daily_weekly_How_much_time_to_spend/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Do_you_think_RG_can_increase_your_brainpower/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Why_are_most_academics_registered_at_RG2/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_Research_Gate_Academic_Platform_was_important_for_you_to_build_up_your_academic_life_up_to_the_current_state/1

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Researchgate_is_14_years_what_are_your_likes_dislikes_or_comments/1

Thank you for your information ..🙏

✅ Strengths of ResearchGate

Research-focused networking – Designed specifically for academics, unlike LinkedIn which is broader.

Paper sharing & access – Authors can upload preprints/postprints, and readers can request full texts directly from authors.

Engagement metrics – Tracks reads, citations, recommendations, and questions/answers, giving feedback on your visibility.

Community interaction – The Q&A feature allows domain-specific discussions, sometimes leading to collaborations.

Discoverability – Good for finding niche or early-stage work that may not yet be in indexed journals.

⚠️ Limitations of ResearchGate

Not universally accepted – Some publishers discourage sharing PDFs there (copyright issues).

Limited formal indexing – Unlike Google Scholar, RG is not used as a standard citation index by universities or ranking agencies.

Quality control – Not peer-reviewed; anyone can upload, so quality varies widely.

Engagement varies by field – Strong in biomedical sciences, engineering, computer science; weaker in humanities and some social sciences.

Closed ecosystem – RG data and profiles are less open than Google Scholar or ORCID, which are more interoperable.

🔍 Comparison with other platforms

Google Scholar: Best for citation tracking, visibility in search engines, and automatic indexing. Weak for networking.

Academia.edu: Similar to RG but less popular in STEM; more used in humanities/social sciences. Monetized features limit accessibility.

LinkedIn: Strong for professional branding, industry connections, and interdisciplinary visibility, but less academic-oriented.

ORCID: Not a networking tool per se, but the most important persistent identifier for ensuring publications are correctly attributed.

🎯 Bottom line

ResearchGate = Great for networking and informal sharing.

Google Scholar = Essential for visibility and citations.

LinkedIn = Important for career opportunities and cross-sector connections.

ORCID = Critical for research identity management.

No single platform is “most effective.” Instead, a multi-platform strategy works best:

Use Google Scholar + ORCID for academic credibility.

Use ResearchGate for networking within your discipline.

Use LinkedIn for showcasing skills to industry and cross-disciplinary contacts.