ResearchGate Social Network

Introduction: ResearchGate, as one of the academic-social networks, has become a platform for scientific cooperation to promote scientific skills. A large number of researchers engage in scientific activities and share research results. This paper aims to study the ResearchGate related researches and examines its opportunities and challenges for the academic communities. Methods: The present research is a narrative-review. The study population includes English-language articles indexed in reputable databases such as Scopus and Web of Science and articles retrieved through Google Scholar published in reputable journals. Results: Activity in ResearchGate enhances citation indexes more than ever. According to some studies and due to the importance of citation in universities' ranking, the use of the ResearchGate professional network can lead to improving the ranking of universities in international ranking systems. However, according to former studies, there are drawbacks to this network, and it is necessary for the scientific communities to use the benefits of this network consciously. Conclusion: Familiarity with the opportunities and challenges of applying ResearchGate can provide relevant information to authorities to make informed decisions about using this social network in academic communities.