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Domain Due Diligence

Report for Researchgate.net

Report Date
October 29, 2025
Recommendation
Proceed
Overall Summary
Safe
  Why we think so? 

ResearchGate.net is a well-established academic networking platform with over 160 million publication pages and more than 25 million researchers connected globally. Ranked #337 worldwide, it has a large monthly visit count exceeding 106 million, primarily from the United States. The site uses reputable technical infrastructure including Cloudflare and Amazon services, and operates with valid SSL certificates. Registered trademarks for "ResearchGate" are held by ResearchGate GmbH in Germany, indicating legitimate brand ownership. While the platform has faced legal challenges related to copyright infringement with major publishers, these disputes were resolved by 2023 with compliance measures, not involving customer fraud. Some users have reported issues like aggressive advertising, unsolicited publishing offers, and privacy concerns, but no widespread scams or direct fraud linked to ResearchGate itself have been confirmed. Overall, the site is a major player in science and education research sharing, with strong traffic and technical signals supporting its legitimacy.

Confidence Score
87%

Risk Insights

🎓

Strong Academic Platform

  • Over 25 million researchers use ResearchGate
  • Hosts 160+ million publication pages
  • Ranked #337 globally in web traffic
✔️

Legally Compliant Brand

  • Multiple USPTO trademark registrations
  • Resolved copyright lawsuits by 2023
  • Ongoing responsible content management
🔒

Technical Security Measures

  • Uses Cloudflare and Amazon hosting
  • Valid SSL certificates in place
  • No scam blacklists detected

Contradictory Signals

While users report some negative experiences, these do not indicate systemic scam behavior, rather platform operation issues.

Signal A: High global traffic and reputable infrastructure

Signal B: User complaints about aggressive advertising and unsolicited offers

Category Scores

Red Flags & Warnings

  • Some users report aggressive marketing tactics and unsolicited publishing offers that can confuse or mislead.

🔎 Detailed Checks & Analysis

Domain Age and Registry Reputation

Score: 90/100
Passed

"Long domain age and stable DNS setup indicate trustworthy registration."

Reason: ResearchGate domain is established since early 2008 with a reputable registrar (Mesh Digital Limited).

Traffic Volume and Engagement Quality

Score: 90/100
Passed

"Bounce rate and page views per visit align with typical academic research platforms."

Reason: Consistent very high traffic (>106 million monthly visits) with average user time on site over 4 minutes supports genuine use.

Security Protocols and Technical Infrastructure

Score: 88/100
Passed

"Infrastructure shows professional and secure website management."

Reason: Uses strong security providers (Cloudflare, Amazon Route 53) and valid SSL certificates.

Brand and Trademark Validation

Score: 90/100
Passed

"Trademark details confirm official ownership and legal brand protection."

Reason: Multiple active USPTO trademarks confirm brand legitimacy under ResearchGate GmbH in Germany.

Blacklist and Scam Detection

Score: 85/100
Passed

"No detected phishing or scam flags in major blacklists."

Reason: Not blacklisted on crypto scam databases or Google Safe Browsing, indicating no known widespread scam association.

User Complaints and Legal Issues

Score: 80/100
Passed

"User reports mostly on advertising and privacy issues, not direct fraud."

Reason: Resolved major copyright infringement lawsuits with publishers; no major verified scams or user fraud related to ResearchGate operations.

Your Next Steps

  • 1

    Use ResearchGate.net for academic and research networking with standard caution regarding unsolicited offers.

  • 2

    Verify payment requests or publication offers independently to avoid predatory scams using ResearchGate's name.

  • 3

    Report any suspicious messages or potential phishing attempts encountered on or off the platform.

Evidence & Citations

🕵🏻 Keep investigating

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