Academic networking sites offer the ability to share your work and collaborate with others.
Academia.edu and ResearchGate are more recently controversial, academic social media platforms because they are both for-profit and can monetize the data that any user uploads. The websites are also known for their lack of transparency in how they use what scholars upload. Other issues cited are that they are not Open Access repositories, there are advertisements, and there is little to no infrastructure for the preservation of users’ data.
Use your best judgement to decide whether to sign up (or delete your account) with Academia.edu or ResearchGate. If you decide to upload your work, be aware of what you can upload without infringing copyright. If you are unsure, ask us for assistance.
Engaging with social media enables you to promote and track your research to a wider audience.
Do you use social media personally and professionally? Consider creating separate accounts for each purpose.
