FAKE AND “GHOST” “RESEARCHERS” POPULATE RESEARCHGATE

In order for an academic social networking site, like ResearchGate (RG), to be a safe experience for its users, it needs to ensure that it protects them from the presence of fake entities, which present a direct risk to valid users’ safe and enjoyable academic experience. Evidence is provided for the existence of a few accounts of obviously fake and “ghost researchers”, but that must have been created by human entities. Fake “researchers” and accounts with no linkable profile, such as those of “ghost researchers”, should be banned from RG, as they may threaten valid researchers’ positive experience, making it an unsafe platform and an unpleasant social networking experience. Importantly, those accounts are in violation of several of RG’s terms of service.