Here at ResearchGate, it is our mission to connect the world of science and accelerate scientific progress. A big part of connecting this world of science is offering the people who use our site the most relevant content and connections for them, including ads, job posts, and recruiting contacts.

These guidelines apply to anyone who purchases or uses ResearchGate’s advertising or recruiting services. They specify what categories of content are not allowed in your ads, job posts, and communications, and what rules apply when you’re searching for and contacting candidates on ResearchGate. Please take the time to review them carefully.

Please note: These guidelines are incorporated into ResearchGate’s Business Service Terms and Business Product Terms (together, the “Terms”). All capitalized terms in these guidelines have the same meaning as in the Terms.

We have the right, but not the responsibility, to review Ads, Ad Materials, Job Posts, and Job Post Content for compliance with these guidelines. We may reject, suspend, remove, deactivate, or not deliver any Ads or Job Posts that don’t comply. We may also restrict, lock, or terminate the account of any advertiser or recruiter who does not comply with these guidelines. Notwithstanding this, you remain responsible for reviewing and ensuring that your Ads, Job Posts, and conduct comply with both these guidelines and all applicable laws.

Contents

1. Requirements and specifications for Ads and Job Posts

2. Prohibited content

3. Rules specific to recruiting on ResearchGate

4. Corrections and modifications of Ads and Job Posts

1. Requirements and specifications for Ads and Job Posts

Unless you are responsible for activating your own Ads or Job Posts, please make sure that you provide us with all the information and approvals required for us to set up and deliver your Ads or Job Posts, including all Ad Materials or Job Post Content, at least 3 working days prior to launch.

Editorial requirements

To make sure that all content on ResearchGate remains high quality, we require that all Ads and Job Posts meet high editorial standards. That means:

• The content you use in your Ad or Job Post must be clearly written, well-formatted, and free from spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors.
• Numbers, capitalization, and letters must be used correctly, and repetition is not allowed.
• Symbols must be used correctly. The following characters are not permitted: @ > # $ % ^ & * ( ) <
• Commonly known abbreviations are allowed, but it’s better if you use the full word where possible.
• Any dates listed in your Ad or Job Post must correspond to its duration on ResearchGate. For example, don’t keep an Ad for a webinar running after the webinar has already ended.

Please note: The primary language that people use to communicate on ResearchGate is English, so any Ad or Job Post that contains content written in another language must be targeted to the appropriate region(s).

Image requirements

To make sure that all Ads and Job Posts look and feel professional, we have the following rules on the use of images:

• Images may not contain any text except for logos, and logos cannot take up more than 20% of the total image size.
• Images must be clearly relevant to the product, service, or opportunity being advertised or promoted.
• Image components that imply functionality, including buttons containing generic calls to action, are not allowed.
• We don’t allow images that are sideways, upside down, blurry, unclear, or contain illegible text.
• Images may not contain QR codes, barcodes, or watermarks.
• We don’t allow images or Ads that attempt to advertise multiple unrelated products or services.

Please note: You are responsible for ensuring that you have the necessary rights to use any image, logo, or text that is part of your Ad or Job Post.

Landing page requirements

To make sure that all Ads and Job Posts on ResearchGate operate smoothly and are easy to interact with, we have these minimum requirements for landing pages:

• Content displayed must be high-quality, original content that is directly relevant to what’s being advertised or promoted.
• Disruptive content that interferes with the User’s access to the page, such as a pop-up, pop-under, or interstitial, is not allowed.
• Redirects are not allowed.

Technical specifications

Generally speaking, we offer two different types of Ads on ResearchGate – Responsive Ads and Banner Ads. The main difference is in the way the Ads are built, which also leads to differences in how we deliver them. Because of these differences, these two types have different technical specifications.

Responsive Ads

Responsive Ads offer maximum flexibility with minimum set up. You only need to provide us with the assets we need to build your Ad – including headlines, images, and your landing page – once. We can then adjust the size, appearance, and format of your Responsive Ad to fit available Ad spaces on ResearchGate, across different devices. For example, your Responsive Ad might show in a “native” format, which is why Responsive Ads are sometimes called “native ads”. Native ads take on the format or tone of the website they are shown on, with the goal of a seamless user experience.

Because we can try out different variables with your Responsive Ad, it’s easy for us to determine which size and placement is performing best. That means we can increase your reach and impact, while saving you time.

So we can build a Responsive Ad that works well across different sizes and styles, your Ad Materials must follow the below specifications:

Please note: The use of animated images (such as animated GIFs) isn’t allowed.

Character recommendations

• Headline: 35 characters
• Subtext: 105 characters
• Advertiser name: 35 characters

Banner Ads

To run a Banner Ad on ResearchGate (sometimes called a “display ad”), you’ll first need to prepare an image file that is sized and formatted appropriately. The specifications and dimensions are listed below. You can also provide us with third-party tags by approved vendors.

We ask that you provide a minimum of 2-3 sizes for A/B testing.

Please note: We reserve the right to reject Ads or Ad Materials that contain excessive animation.

Tracking of Banner Ads

Subject to our approval, we allow the use of third-party tags to track Banner Ads in accordance with our Business Service Terms. Please read the Terms carefully, especially Section 5 (Delivery).

Please note: DoubleClick (internal redirect tags) are preferred. For a complete list of approved vendors, please get in touch with your ResearchGate contact.

2. Prohibited content

We want all Ads, Job Posts, and communications on ResearchGate to be appropriate, suitable for our community of scientists and professionals, honest, transparent, and safe. Because of this, we don’t allow Ads, Job Posts, or communications that fall into the following categories:

• Harm to ResearchGate or our Users. Even if legal in the applicable jurisdiction, we may not allow Ads, Job Posts, or communications that promote or endorse products, services, or actions that would result in a breach of our Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, or Privacy Policy, or that we believe are intended to, or may result in, harm or legal liability to ResearchGate or our Users.
• Fake documents and related services. We don’t allow Ads for or promotion of fake documents that could be used to trick or defraud, or services that assist with obtaining documents in violation of applicable rules, including but not limited to fake academic degrees, fake professional licenses or certifications, or academic cheating services.
• Offensive. Please use only appropriate and acceptable language. We don’t allow Ads, Job Posts, or communications that contain profanity, or that we consider indecent, vulgar, suggestive, obscene, or offensive to good taste.
• Sensational or adult content. Ads, Job Posts, and communications must not contain shocking, violent, exaggerated, sensational, disrespectful, sexually-related, or adult content.
• Sensitive content. We don’t allow Targeting based on sensitive categories, such as inferred or actual information regarding financial status, criminal record, health, disability, political affiliation/beliefs, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical affiliation/beliefs, age, name, sexual behavior or orientation, gender identity, or trade union membership.
• Discrimination. Even if legal in the applicable jurisdiction, we don’t allow any form of discrimination or encouragement of discrimination against people based on personal attributes such as race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, disability, medical, or genetic condition.
• Hate, violence, and opposition. Even if legal in the applicable jurisdiction, we don’t allow hate speech, showing or promoting violence or damage to others or their property, personal attacks on any individual, group, company, or organization, or otherwise advocating against or targeting any individual, group, company, or organization. Harassing or threatening others is not allowed.
• Trademarks and use of “ResearchGate.” Only use trademarks that you have a legal right to use. Ads and Job Posts must not include any text that may be deemed as infringing upon the trademarks of other parties, unless express permission has been granted by the trademark owner. You should not use trademarks, logos, service marks, or company names in a way that would be confusing to the User, or imply an affiliation or endorsement when there is none. Don’t mention ResearchGate, use any ResearchGate trademarks in any manner, or imply affiliation with or an endorsement by ResearchGate without our prior express written consent.
• Illegal products or services. Ads, Job Posts, and communications on ResearchGate must not constitute, facilitate, or promote products, services, or activities that are illegal in the jurisdictions in which they are being offered. Ads, Job Posts, and communications themselves must comply with all applicable laws regarding advertising and recruiting, including age and content restrictions.
• Fraud or deception. Your Ads, Job Posts, and communications should not be false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading in any way. This includes intending to deceive by excluding relevant information or giving misleading information about products, services, businesses, or job vacancies.
• Illegal, prescription, or recreational drugs. We don’t allow Ads that promote the sale or use of illegal, prescription, or recreational drugs, or any supplements, as determined by ResearchGate in our sole discretion.
• Links. Do not deceive, confuse, or otherwise degrade the experience of Users who click on your Ad or Job Post. The domain of your display URL must match the domain of your destination URL. Your landing page must not generate a pop-up which is not initiated by the User, and must allow Users to navigate away from the page.
• Malicious software or phishing. Do not use an Ad, Job Post, or communication to promote, install, or distribute viruses, worms, spyware, malware, or other malicious software. This includes links to sites containing these products. Do not promote a website that tricks a User into providing personal or other information that can be used to exploit or cause harm to others.
• Software. We don’t allow Ads or Job Posts that install software without the User’s permission, or that promote, install, or distribute software that is deceptive, promises a value proposition that it doesn’t meet, piggybacks on the installation of another program, doesn’t tell the User about all of its principal and significant functions, affects the User’s system in an unexpected way, is difficult to remove, collects or transmits private information without the User’s knowledge, or is bundled with other software when its presence is not disclosed.
• Privacy. You remain responsible for ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations on the subject of privacy and data protection. For processing of personal data of European residents, you shall comply with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) and related local implementation laws, in particular with reference to obtaining the necessary consent to contact candidates prior to the collecting of any personal information.
• Third-party infringement. Ads and Job Posts must not contain content that violates or infringes upon the rights of any third party, including but not limited to any intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other personal or proprietary rights.
• Contact details. To safeguard your privacy, we don’t allow Ads or Job Posts that contain any personal contact details, such as your email address.

Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your content and conduct comply with all applicable laws and regulations for the places where your business operates, as well as any other places where your Ads or Job Posts are displayed, or your communications are sent. That includes complying with all applicable advertising regulations for healthcare and medicine, privacy and data protection laws, and U.S. and non-U.S. export control and trade sanction laws.

3. Rules specific to recruiting on ResearchGate

We want to make sure that you attract the right scientists and fill your open positions, while also offering our Users the best possible application process or recruitment experience. To help achieve these goals, we have some specific rules for recruiting on ResearchGate.

The following rules apply to your Job Posts:

• Job titles. Your job title should provide a clear and accurate description of the job vacancy being promoted and the scientific area or project it relates to. All job titles should have at least 2 words and 20 characters and the format “Position – Area”, e.g.:
  • Scientist – Biotechnology
  • PostDoc – Agroecology and Organic Farming
  • Researcher – Dynamic Modeling of Energy Systems
• Job description. This is your opportunity to provide further information about the position, for example information about the specific team the successful candidate will join. To help applicants get the level of information they need, your job description must be a minimum of 100 characters.
• Desired skills and experience. This is where you have the opportunity to describe the expected profile of the right candidate, including academic background, required qualifications, and essential or desired skills. Make sure you don’t miss any required skills, as job seekers will be paying extra attention to this section.
• About the employer. Here’s your chance to give applicants a little more information about the employer company or institution, the working environment, and any perks of the job. A good employer description can go a long way in attracting the best candidates.
• Application deadlines. A Job Post must not list an application deadline that differs from the date that the Job Post will expire on ResearchGate. If your application deadline pre- or post-dates the expiry date of the Job Post, this can confuse candidates and result in them missing the opportunity to apply.
• Application method. Don’t include an email address or link to an external application page in your Job Post, so we can track the applications made through ResearchGate. Tracking your Job Post’s success is just as important to us as it is to you.
• One job vacancy per Job Post. You may not promote multiple job vacancies in one Job Post. This does not apply to Job Posts promoting multiple openings for an identical position, Job Posts recruiting for PhD or Master’s programs, or open calls for faculty positions. Do not change the position being promoted during a Job Post’s posting.

Finding employment opportunities is serious business. We want to offer our Users the best possible experience while using ResearchGate, whether they want to learn about employment opportunities that may be relevant to them, or not. To ensure this, we have some important rules for recruiters who use ResearchGate to post Job Posts or find or contact potential candidates.

Do: 

• Clearly identify yourself as a recruiter to any candidate you may contact.
• Respect the privacy and time of candidates you choose to contact.
• Observe any limitations imposed on the number of messages you may send to candidates within a specified period.
• Maintain and observe a posted Privacy Policy compliant with all applicable laws and regulations, including any laws applicable to the transfer of personal information of EU residents outside the European Economic Area.

Don’t:

• Contact candidates who have opted out of being included in candidate search.
• Post Job Posts or contact candidates without having a reasonable and legitimate intent to hire.
• Spam or otherwise contact candidates for purposes other than related to employment opportunities.
• Harass, stalk, or contact any candidate after they have blocked you or asked not to be contacted by you or your company.
• Intentionally misrepresent a position or hiring company.
• Discriminate against people based on personal attributes such as race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, disability, medical, or genetic condition.
• Fail to clearly disclose that a position is for an independent contractor or is part-time, piecework, commission-based, or has otherwise nontraditional working conditions or compensation.
• Recruit for business opportunities that require payments or recruitment of others, or that resemble franchises, multi-level marketing, club memberships, distributorships, or are entirely or almost entirely commission-based.
• Provide personal data of any candidate to any other parties except upon expressed and informed consent of the candidate and in accordance with the applicable data privacy laws.

4. Corrections and modifications of Ads and Job Posts

ResearchGate has the right but not the obligation to:

1. Correct typographical, spelling, punctuation, grammatical, spacing, or formatting errors in Ads or Job Posts.
2. Store, crop, or resize Ad Materials or Job Post Content, including logos and/or images, to fit our specifications.
3. Truncate text that exceeds a specified character limit.
4. Deactivate Job Posts promoting more than one job vacancy, or where the job vacancy being promoted has changed during the Job Post’s posting.
5. Remove from an Ad or Job Post any contact details, email addresses, or external application links.
6. Make “technical” corrections. For example, if the application deadline is shorter than the Job Post’s duration on ResearchGate, we may shorten the posting. If the application deadline is later than the Job Post’s expiry date, we may delete the application deadline. If an Ad for a webinar is still running after the webinar has taken place, we might change the Ad to show the webinar is now “on demand”.